


Trouble

by RoRoWeasley



Series: Tracy Trouble [1]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Gen, Hostage Situations, Non-Graphic Violence, Parental Scott, Pre-IR, Protective Scott, WeeTracys, Young Tracys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-07 19:26:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 43,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14677836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoRoWeasley/pseuds/RoRoWeasley
Summary: After a teenaged Virgil is grounded, he receives help from a rather unexpected source: someone offering a simple, spontaneous gesture. But when they are caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, complicated events will unfold. Movie-verse, pre IR.





	1. Accidents Happen

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to, I don't own Thunderbirds.
> 
> This piece does contain original characters of my own creation, please don't use them without my permission.
> 
> Originally written back in 2013.

TROUBLE  
A Thunderbirds fic by Ro-RoWeasley

* * *

 _“When you are busy looking at your next step,_  
_how can you see where you are going?”_  
_~ Elizabeth Alraune ~_

* * *

** Chapter One  
Accidents Happen **

 

Virgil was running for his life, pushing and shoving his way through the endless crowds. Later perhaps he would feel guilty, but not right then. He’d be dead meat if he slowed to a walk. _They_ would get him.  
  
It was strictly forbidden to even rush in the maze of corridors that made up the high school let alone _sprint_ , but at that moment he couldn’t care less. All he could concentrate on was losing the gang of boys gaining on him.  
  
If people were shouting at him their voices fell upon deaf ears, for all he could hear was the thudding of his own heart. Flying around a corner he skidded slightly, shoes protesting at the sudden change in direction at such speed, before charging up the flight of stairs up to the first floor. He didn’t know where he was going; all he wanted was to lose them.  
  
_You didn’t mean to do it. You didn’t mean to do it._ His brain chimed in time with his feet slapping hard on the floor as he climbed up and up.  
  
Once he reached the landing he threw himself against the old wooden door. This was the oldest part of the school, the one section that was yet to be refurbished and so the quarter century-old doors stuck on the tiled floor. After a few hard barges it budged open wide enough for him to squeeze through, and he kept on running. Classroom doors whirled past him but he ignored them. If he could just make it to the other end he could disappear and lose them.  
  
Almost there now…  
  
But the sight coming towards him made him stop in his tracks.  
  
They’d found him.  
  
Virgil groaned, realising his mistake. In the time it had taken him to climb up and mess with the door, they had managed to loop _underneath_ him on the ground floor and come up the stairs the other end of the corridor. He cursed himself for his lack of strategy. Out of _all_ the places he could have run he’d headed upstairs and got himself cornered. For an artist, that wasn’t a great example of creative thinking.  
  
“Stop right there, Tracy brat,” Gary Steelton sneered as he walked slowly towards him, though the effect was somewhat spoiled by the multi-coloured paint splatters on his uniform. The four other boys were wearing identical expressions.  
  
At first Virgil gulped, glued to the spot and unsure of what to do despite knowing he was in for a beating. Then he squared his shoulders as he thought: _What would Scott do? Stand up to them, Virgil._  
  
“Got a little something on your shirt, Steelton?” he jeered, much braver than he felt.  
  
In art class that morning Virgil had tripped and sent his tray of paints right into the other boy’s chest, who just happened to be walking past him. Everyone in the class had fallen into fits of laughter, even Virgil, much to Gary’s embarrassment. Being the year’s ‘bully’, he hadn’t taken it lightly, insisting Virgil had done it on purpose and had sworn to pay him back. And at lunchtime, the instant he’d clapped eyes on the middle Tracy, he’d not let him be.  
  
“Look at the state of me you clumsy brat. I’m gonna make you pay. Your daddy’s a rich millionaire after all so I’m sure he can spare a few ten-dollar bills. God I hope he locks you away. I’m surprised they let someone like you into this school, a name like _Virgil_ doesn’t belong anywhere.” And with that, he spat on the floor, still advancing towards his prey.  
  
Instinctively Virgil started backing up. But as Gary showed no signs of stopping he found himself walking almost sideways in an arc so now he had his back to the stairs the gang had emerged from; an escape route. The idiot was too busy taunting him and had failed to notice that Virgil now had the upper hand.  
  
His back hit the door to the stairs but he didn’t immediately take a run for it, instead opting for negotiation. A desperate last resort but he was no longer intimidated. They had caused him enough trouble over the last two years but now he had had enough. “It was an accident, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just walk away now and it can be forgotten.”  
  
“And where’s the fun in that?” Gary gloated as he walked even closer. Being over a head taller than Virgil, right now he towered over him making the artist wince in spite of himself. “Big brother Scotty’s not here right now to protect you is he? Too busy truanting school to get his pilot license to care about you. And John could never match me in a fight, he’s even worse than you.”  
  
That did it. Virgil couldn’t hold his anger in any longer. Before Gary could lay a hand on him Virgil had struck out first, his fist connecting with the bully’s jaw. No one insulted his brothers and got away with it!  
  
His hand stung but he ignored it as Steelton all but wrestled him to the floor and a short fight ensued, the four witnesses egging their leader on. Virgil somehow managed to get back to his feet, feeling a warm trickle of blood run down his chin from his now split lip and his left cheek was stinging. But Gary, having followed suit, grabbed him around the waist, forcing him through the doors and up against the wall, holding both of his hands behind his back. Virgil couldn’t move.  
  
“You apologise right this second for that, brat, or you’ll be eating stairs,” Gary hissed.  
  
“You first. Apologise for insulting my brothers!” the artist shouted back through gritted teeth.  
  
“No chance.”  
  
In one swift and rather impressive move, Virgil wriggled out of the larger boy’s grasp before he could begin the painful tumble down the hard staircase. Then, as Gary made to grab him again, Virgil reacted by twisting and throwing his arms out, literally pushing the menace off of him like batting away a wasp.  
  
That however had been the wrong move. Virgil stared in utter horror as Gary Steelton went head over heels down the stairs before hitting the floor in a heap with a sickening thump.  
  
He didn’t move.

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you, Virg. What on earth has gotten into you? This isn’t you at all! You’re setting a terrible example to Alan and Gordon, not to mention letting me and John down.”  
  
Virgil just sat in the passenger seat of the blue hatchback sedan and sulked as Scott continued his tirade. After being sent to the principal’s office, Scott had been called to collect him; it wasn’t even two in the afternoon.  
  
“…You knew today was important for me, why did you have to let this happen?”  
  
That stung and Virgil immediately bit back. Didn’t Scott realise what he had just been through? Didn’t his brother realise he hadn’t meant to disturb his day? “I didn’t let it happen, it was an accident!”  
  
“The paint or pushing him down the stairs? The kid’s hospitalised, Virg!”  
  
“Both!” the artist protested. “I genuinely tripped when the paint got thrown over him and as for the stairs I was defending myself. He’d have pushed _me_ down the stairs if I hadn’t tried to get away! I only meant to push him aside on the landing but the angle he held me at meant he went down the stairs instead! At least I stayed with him until the ambulance came…it was only concussion,” he said miserably.  
  
The four cronies had run off as soon as they’d realised what had happened. Virgil assumed they’d gone to get a teacher but they’d never returned – some friends they obviously were.  
  
Suddenly furious, he raised his voice. “It would have been _me_ Scott, and do you think _he’d_ have stayed and made sure _I_ was okay?”  
  
He saw Scott’s face harden even more at that before he softened. “I think we both know the answer to that, Virg. Even if it was you who lashed out first, you did the right thing when it all got out of hand. I’m pleased you’re in one piece, though that’s one heck of a bruise on your cheek.” His older brother chuckled slightly before growing serious. “You do know you’re grounded for this right?”  
  
“Who am I to argue?” Virgil sulked. He knew he’d gone too far, even if it had been an accident, and so deserved whatever punishment Scott decided to give him, and being grounded was definitely getting off lightly. But then again he knew his eldest brother would have come to his aid in a heartbeat if he had been at school that day.  
  
At that thought a realisation struck him. “Wait, if I’m grounded that means I can’t go to the Mall with Dan later for my art supplies, no fair!”  
  
“Sorry kiddo, just count your lucky stars you’re not suspended.”  
  
“I got detention though…Man, I’m turning into Gordon!”  
  
Scott laughed as he parked the car on the large drive outside their home. The house in the small Kansas town was fairly large, having to accommodate as well as Virgil; his older brothers Scott and John; his two younger brothers Gordon and Alan; their dad Jeff Tracy, plus any guests when they stayed – the usual being Grandma. Each Tracy son had their own room on the first floor; dad had two – bedroom and an office where he worked all hours during the day when he wasn’t out the house. Virgil’s room was at the rear of the house with a view of their acre-sized garden and the landscape beyond.  
  
“I don’t think anyone can break Gordy’s record, save maybe Alan. We’ll have to keep a close watch on that kid,” Scott said thoughtfully and Virgil agreed as they made their way to the house. Even at the tender age of eleven, the prankster had stacked up more detention slips than his entire year put together and he had a feeling six-year-old Alan was beginning to take a keen interest in his immediate older brother’s schemes.  
  
Once inside, Virgil shoved off his shoes and upon entering the kitchen diner area, unceremoniously slung his bag on the table before raiding the cupboards for a glass and some juice. Scott didn’t say anything more, merely leaving the thirteen-year-old to unwind, though Virgil knew he would want to talk more later in the evening.  
  
Seating himself down on one of the padded seats along the breakfast bar, Virgil absently sipped his drink while mulling over the events of the day. Although he’d had another run-in with the current bane of his life, he felt a sense of pride for finally standing up for himself. Scott hadn’t approved at all, which had annoyed him, especially when they both knew Scott would have done the exact same thing. But he wasn’t prepared to submit himself to more torture from Steelton by allowing Scott to fight his battles for him. No. Today he’d done it for himself. And it was absolutely worth getting grounded for.  
  
The sound of his father’s voice however, made Virgil’s better mood instantly sour.  
  
“I saw the car, why are you back so early?” the Tracy patriarch demanded, addressing Scott.  
  
“The school called me and asked me to bring him home,” big brother replied, a glare evident in his tone. Virgil stayed sat where he was, still sipping his drink.  
  
“What about your pilot test?”  
  
Scott’s tone dripped acid. “The call came before we started. I couldn’t rely on you to drop your work and collect him yourself, so I dropped my pilot test and got him instead. The school still have me listed as his emergency contact.”  
  
Virgil was beginning to squirm, fighting the urge to run upstairs to the haven of his bedroom. His eldest brother and father were still clashing despite Jeff promising he’d be more involved with his family after Mrs Travers had spoken to him, and he’d prefer to be out of the immediate vicinity whenever anything blew up. Things were slowly getting better, but for now were taking a backwards turn.  
  
“Don’t talk like that to me Scott. Why exactly has Virgil been brought home early? Is he ill?”  
  
At that, Virgil put his glass down on the counter and hopped down from the seat, turning and walking over to stand next to Scott who was leaning against the table. “I’m still in the room, dad,” he retorted. “And no, I’m fine. I just pushed a kid down the stairs, acci-”  
  
“You did WHAT?” Jeff exploded.  
  
“It was an accident!” Virgil began to protest. He’d known his father would react like this, he needed to explain himself before the rest of the day was ruined. “He pushed me up against the wall and I threw him off-”  
  
“Go to your room,” his father said quietly, raising his voice when the artist didn’t immediately budge. “ _Now!_ ”  
  
Virgil looked pleadingly at Scott, who only looked pointedly at him so the thirteen-year-old stormed from the room. Slamming his bedroom door hard and throwing himself down on his bed, he heard the raised voices of his brother and father as they started arguing.  
  
_Wonderful. Could this day get any worse?_


	2. Consequences

** Chapter Two  
Consequences **

Scott and Jeff were still arguing two hours later when John returned home accompanied by Gordon and Alan. As Scott should have been away, they’d arranged for John to pick the two youngest up from elementary. Virgil should have come home alone on the school bus before heading over to his friend’s, all whilst their father was wrapped up in business in his office. A few weeks ago he would’ve made the effort, but for now there was no guarantee so Scott had taken the lead and made arrangements prior to setting off for the cadets’ airfield that morning.  
  
With the new arrivals the shouting stopped, for which Virgil was grateful. He’d been trying to concentrate on playing one of his favorite pieces but hadn’t been able to completely lose himself due to the noise, no matter how loud he had the volume. John, ever the peacekeeper of the family, had obviously stepped in and broken up the shouting match, the needs of appearances in front of the youngest taking priority.  
  
Seconds later the Terrible Two came bounding into the room, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere within the house. As the artist turned off his keyboard and stood up, Alan threw himself into his arms whilst Gordon merely sat on the bed.  
  
“Virgey!” Alan shrieked.  
  
Virgil ruffled his hair. “Hey, sprout. Had a good day?”  
  
The child merely shrugged, his mind apparently on more important things. Alan could surprise them sometimes with his level of understanding and caring, despite his age. “Yeah. Are you okay? Johnny said you were in trouble and Scotty said you hurt your cheek. Does it hurt?”  
  
“I’m fine, I just walked into a door,” the artist said quickly in an attempt to put him off, but the reddening of his cheeks didn’t escape his brothers.  
  
Gordon rolled his eyes just as John entered the room, saying bluntly, “You’re a terrible liar, Virg. You got hit didn’t you?”  
  
“Gordon!” the near sixteen-year-old scolded before turning to his middle brother with a frown. “Seriously though, are you alright? Steelton again?”  
  
Virgil nodded. “How much did Scott tell you?” It was obvious the reason why John’s entrance had been slightly delayed was because he’d had a brief conversation with their eldest brother downstairs about what had happened.  
  
“Only that he said something to you and you went for him first. Though I saw the ambulance and the Principal told me you’d been taken home early, so I’m guessing it got out of hand?” John’s tone wasn’t sharp and angry like Scott’s had been, instead it was calm, gentle and understanding. The second eldest Tracy was always levelheaded and calm, and that soothed Virgil significantly. He knew John wouldn’t give him a dressing down; he just wanted to know the full story and make sure he was alright. “Scott said it in less-nicer words however, so if I were you I wouldn’t disturb him for a bit, let him calm down. Dad’s got to him again so he’s a ticking bomb ready to blow.”  
  
Virgil filled his brothers in on what had occurred earlier that day.  
  
“That was very naughty Virgey,” Alan scolded cheekily before hugging him again. “Glad you’re okay though.”  
  
“This is the Virgil Tracy we know and love, right?” his red-haired brother joked. “Good on you man, the Tracy rage is good and bubbling in you after all! Just you left now Johnny-boy, how are we gonna crack you?”  
  
That comment earned him a cuff round the head from the space-case but Virgil nonetheless chuckled at his brother’s words.  
  
Himself and John were not known as being the physical types when it came to arguments, much preferring clean words to action and therefore almost never landing themselves in trouble. Such a show of temper Virgil had shown today was exceptionally rare, but did happen, whereas John was the only brother who never did anything wrong. Ever.  
  
John turned to his two youngest brothers. “Hey, Gords, you better go get your swimming gear ready as we’ll be leaving for your practice soon. Alan, will you go with him please and give him a hand?”  
  
Gordon slouched slowly out of the room behind the ever-overexcited youngest Tracy, knowing exactly why he was being sent out. John knew he was quite capable of getting ready by himself, but he was making an excuse for wanting to talk to Virgil on his own. The artist didn’t mind, he could feel the exhaustion of the day beginning to get to him and he just needed someone to talk to. Someone who wouldn’t get on his back like Scott.  
  
“Do you want to come too? Get out of this madhouse for a while?” John asked softly.  
  
“I can’t. Scott’s grounded me and dad’s furious, no way I’m getting past them,” Virgil said miserably. He wasn’t going to risk getting on the wrong side of them just to sit and mope at the leisure centre, but he wasn’t going to say that out loud.  “And I don’t have any art supplies left, no music lesson until next week so I’ve got no new pieces to practice. What am I supposed to do?!”  
  
“Well, Principal Yates gave me some work to give you to keep you occupied. He said Miss Finch wants you to complete the poetry assignment you haven’t yet handed in that was due a week ago,” John replied, eyebrows raised in a _care-to-tell-me-more?_ expression.  
  
Virgil groaned, thoroughly frustrated. Just when he’d thought he’d gotten away with it!  
But instead of exploding again he simply sank down on his bed, his head in his hands. John was at his side instantly.  
  
“Are you alright, Virg?” he asked, concern and worry evident in his tone.  
  
As much as he desperately tried, he couldn’t stop the tears forming in his eyes. He was finally done with the day and his walls and tough exterior crumbled. “I didn’t do it because of the subject. We’re studying how the forces of nature influence poems and literature and…” He took a deep breath before looking up at his older brother. “We had to watch a feature film about an avalanche, Johnny. Miss Finch’s assignment was to write a poem from the point of view of one of the characters trapped in the avalanche. I just couldn’t-”  
  
As John noticeably stiffened beside him Virgil couldn’t say anymore as he dissolved into sobs. He hated crying, it made him vulnerable and weak and was not something Tracys did. But such a powerful reminder of the disaster that struck their family nearly three years ago was just too much to keep hidden. John didn’t berate him either, just held him and muttered soothing words to calm him down.  
  
“You okay now?” John asked quietly, Virgil just sniffed and nodded. “I’ll see if we can get your teacher to let it slide. I’m sure if she understood she’d let it go.”  
  
But Virgil shook his head, feeling suddenly determined. “But I’ve got to do it, Johnny. I can’t just keep avoiding it, even if that’s what I’d rather do. It’s just an English assignment, I can do it.”  
  
“You sure?”  
  
“Yeah. Now you better get going or Gords will be late for his swimming training. You’ll pay dearly for that!” Virgil said with a grin. Gordon used any and every excuse to pull a prank these days.  
  
“Alright. Now you stay put, got me? You’re grounded so behave. You’ve gotta accept the consequences, little brother, even if they aren’t fair,” John said as he made his way over to the door, flashing the middle Tracy a rather uncharacteristically cheeky grin and a wink before he disappeared, leaving Virgil puzzled.

* * *

An hour and a half later, John was sat in the lounge watching his eldest brother pace back and forth. Virgil was entertaining Gordon and Alan upstairs with a Friday night movie, so John had taken the opportunity to talk to Scott about the events of the day, and what Virgil had disclosed. However it was proving a bigger challenge than he’d thought as Scott was still in a foul mood with their father, and all the good it was doing was forcing the anger and emotions onto Virgil, rather unfairly.  
  
“You need to talk to him, Scott. I know you’re worried about him.”  
  
Predictably, Scott rounded on him. “I’m still mad at him, John! I have _one_ chance to actually do something for myself and I still end up looking after my brothers!” The seventeen-year-old sighed heavily as he sat down on one of the leather armchairs and rubbed a hand over his face. “Of course I’m worried about him. It wasn’t fair of me to chew him out - they all know violence isn’t the answer to their problems, although Gordon often needs telling several times a day…”  
  
“But the whole English thing, Scott? Surely the teacher should have known it was insensitive?” John asked as tentatively as he could.  
  
“She’s a new teacher Johnny, I don’t think she’d have been informed. It’s kind of old news now, if maybe not to _us_.”  
  
“I asked him if he wanted me to have a word but he said no. Putting the fear and emotions aside he said he’d do it, he’s determined to prove himself.”  
  
“He’s stubborn,” Scott muttered.  
  
John still pressed the subject. “Did you really have to ground him though?”  
  
“Yes!” Scott nearly yelled. “He needs to know he can’t do anything like this again, even if it was accidental. Dad sent him up to his room as soon as we got back anyway so if I hadn’t have done it, he would. I know it means he can’t go out to the Mall like they’d planned for ages but it just got me so worked up.”  
  
“You can take your pilot’s license again, you know? Tomorrow if you wanted.”  
  
“Come on, John, that’s not what this is about! But I will stand by what I said to dad. If he’d have pulled his finger out earlier he could have prevented this. That Steelton kid has had it in for Virgil for years, dad could have had him expelled but as usual he just doesn’t care!”  
  
John sighed. How many times had he heard those lines? After the disastrous skiing holiday nearly three years ago, where mom had been taken from them, Jeff Tracy had totally distanced himself. Scott had been forced to take charge and although things had improved quite rapidly, Scott was still bitter as their father had recently took a backwards step.  
  
“Look, forget dad and focus back on Virg. You’re not really mad at him are you?”  
  
Scott huffed before replying quietly, “No.”  
  
“So go and talk to him! He needs you, he’s really shaken up. He even talked to _me_ , Scott, he opened up to _me_. He never does that, it’s normally you he turns to.”  
  
Scott stood up and began to head towards the hallway door. “I’ll do it in the morning, I don’t want to explode and send him even more over the edge. I need to talk to him when I’ve got a clear head. And on that note, I’ll turn in early tonight after putting Al and Gords to bed.”  
  
“Fine, okay you do that. But promise me you will talk to him?”  
  
“I promise, Johnny.” Scott gave him a small smile but that was good enough for John. Then as he opened the door he turned back and gave another heavy sigh and John could practically see the battle raging inside his head. Exhaustion won however, as he leant his head against the wood and said, “I’m gonna head up now, I don’t care how early it is, my head’s killing me.”

* * *

 

Later that evening, with Scott resting, their father locked away in his study and the three youngest settling down for the night John retreated up to his room to spend some time looking up at the stars, even if it wasn’t completely dark just yet. Losing himself in the luminous spheres of gas far away out to space, the teen let his mind wander. Virgil was just hitting his teenage years and if this was how volatile he was now, it could be dangerous in the coming years.  
  
Thinking back to the cheeky grin he’d sent his sibling earlier, John figured he could pull his plan off. He may be considered the most sensible Tracy with a squeaky clean record, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t bring out the devious Tracy trait that was usually kept well buried.  
  
Tonight it surfaced in full, overruling all reason and arguments against. But in that second John Tracy didn’t care. Virgil needed cheering up and he knew exactly what to do as he put the lens cap back on his telescope. As quick as he could he grabbed a few essentials from his wardrobe before heading out of his bedroom door.  
  
John was going to break the rules.

 


	3. Unprecedented Escape

Chapter Three  
Unprecedented Escape

Virgil was sat on his windowsill staring aimlessly out at the landscape. Their family house had a large field out the back bordered with trees that the boys usually played games in – soccer, rugby, hide and seek, you name it. Beyond the field were a few hills but otherwise it was just flat and empty, not much of a spectacular picture for an artist such as himself to want to capture. It was late autumn so the trees and fields had long lost their leaves, their colours and their beauty.  
  
It was only just past seven in the evening and it wasn’t yet completely dark, although bordering on it, allowing Virgil to see quite far into the distance.  
  
He wasn’t concentrating on it though; instead his ears were basking in the melody echoing from his music player and his mind was wandering. Beethoven reminded him of his mother and so if he ever needed to feel close to her he’d sit and listen to it over and over until the memories generated became too upsetting.  
  
He’d found his talent and passion for art and music from a very young age, and it all stemmed from his mom. She was a great lover of classic composers and Virgil remembered simple things like cooking tea or dessert and day trips out were always accompanied by classical music, nearly always Beethoven or Mozart.  
  
Sitting at the piano every evening back when he was six years old, he’d been mesmerized watching the quick, fluid movements of her fingers and the way they’d produced not only melodic and soothing sounds but also harsh and belting, to express emotions without words. The middle Tracy had begged for lessons and was a grade four pianist by age ten. When his mom died, for a while his passion had halted for the art studio and the music room held too many painful memories. But as time passed he’d begun to realize that playing in her memory, painting in her memory had been a comfort. Even though she was no longer around he could still feel her. He’d won his first state art competition just before his eleventh birthday and now at thirteen was close to taking his grade eight piano exam.  
  
Looking down at the notepad on his lap, he’d actually started making notes for his poetry assignment. The quick succession of events that day had snapped something into him, a sense of determination he’d never felt so strongly before. A determination to never let anything get the better of him, never let anything beat him, and to never give up.  
  
His reverie was broken by the sound of someone knocking on his door, but he didn’t get a chance to tell the intruder to go away before John sailed into the room. Silently closing the door behind him he made his way over to Virgil who treated him with the harshest glare he could - served him right for disturbing him!  
  
However his glare turned to puzzlement as he took in John’s appearance.  
  
His brother had his coat and shoes on as if he’d just come in from outside. There was a scarf wrapped around his neck and he was pulling gloves on over his hands. Okay then, he was planning on venturing outside…  
  
“John?” he asked incredulously, as he watched the blonde fussing around Virgil’s room hunting for his outdoor wear. Finding them, he all but chucked them at Virgil.  
  
“Virg, we’re going for a walk. Be as quiet as you can, we’re going out the window.”  
  
“What? But I’m grounded-” the artist protested.  
  
“Scott grounded you from going off on your own, but you’ll be with me.” And the cheeky smile he’d been given earlier was back, and Virgil understood.  
  
“You’ve had this planned then?” he inquired as he pulled on his coat, laughing as John blushed.  
  
“Well, how many times has Gordon got away with escaping when he was supposed to be grounded? Anyway, Scott’s asleep - I’ve checked – and Gordon and Alan are watching another film. We can be there and back before anyone notices.”  
  
“John Glenn Tracy, I would never have believed it,” Virgil said, shaking his head. John was never one to encourage Gordon’s mischievous behavior let alone happily play along, but Virgil felt a gush of appreciation to his older brother for looking out for him. John was going to risk getting himself grounded to take Virgil out. Wait...  
  
“Where are we going?”  
  
“The Mall,” John answered, flashing his wallet. “I heard someone was supposed to be getting more art supplies tonight.”  
  
“Johnny you’re the _best!_ ” Virgil beamed as he watched his brother open his window.  
  
“Shh keep your voice down! Come on, we’re outta here.”

* * *

  _An hour later…_  
  
Gordon was fuming. Throughout the movie Alan hadn’t been able to keep still. Agitated by the glum mood hanging over the house, the six year old kept trying to escape and go to Scott’s room. Their eldest brother had poked his head in earlier to say he was heading to bed early so Gordon refused Alan’s requests to see him. He knew Scott wouldn’t have really minded but he wanted his brother to catch up on his sleep. Despite being only ten, he was still aware of the current predicament between Scott and their father, and consequently the current situation than they seemed to think. But if it meant that his oldest brothers had one less thing to deal with by Gordon not worrying them, then he wouldn't say anything. Right now, it was his responsibility to be a big brother to Alan, distracting him while Scott found some well-earned rest.

When Scott had tried to make the two boys turn in as well, Gordon had protested - they had just started another film after Virgil had retreated to his bedroom, and after a brief argument Scott had given in, entrusting Gordon to get Alan and himself off to bed in good time. And the second youngest had taken it to heart. But when the movie finished and the prankster told Alan to get to bed, he’d insisted on saying goodnight to Virgil first. Gordon couldn’t deny him that, after all Virgil hadn’t had the best of days and would appreciate Alan's simple action.  
  
Gordon might not be at the same school as his three older brothers yet, but he’d sure heard of Gary Steelton, the idiot giving Virgil so much grief. The prankster had the bully’s kid brother, Toby, in his classes – though thankfully not in his swim meets as Toby’s forte was track. Despite not being nearly as bad as his older brother, Toby Steelton was still arrogant and disruptive and thought he was better than everybody else. But unlike Virgil with Gary, Gordon wasn’t Toby’s sole target. Instead he’d play up to anyone and everyone he could.  
  
But Virgil on the other hand appeared to have had constant trouble with Gary since sixth grade. Gordon knew it was because Virgil was normally quiet, reserved and just got on with things. John had had similar problems at the start of secondary but with Scott’s intervention they’d stopped pretty quickly. However, Virgil was one to fight his own battles - obviously physically when the time came, much like Gordon himself. Virgil’s problem was that he evoked a reaction and so was the source of Steelton’s persistent bullying. Gordon hadn’t experienced anything like that personally and hoped not to, but was sure he could stand up and defend himself and his brothers whenever it was called for.  
  
Just then Alan came running back into the room and Gordon nearly threw him out out of room in frustration of interrupting his thoughts, but the thought evaporated as he saw the look of panic on his brother’s face and the tears in his eyes.  
  
“What’s wrong Allie?” he asked as Alan bowled into him.  
  
“Virgey’s gone!”

* * *

John and Virgil walked through the mall, chatting animatedly and enjoying each other’s company.  
  
Virgil was thoroughly enjoying himself. Their first stop had been the art store to stock up on paints, different shaded pencils, A3 paper and sketchpads. There was quite a thrill to the fact that they were here against their eldest brother’s orders and Virgil intended to take full advantage.  
  
After browsing around record stores, book stores and scientific equipment stores, several purchases later the rebellious pair decided to head to a coffee shop. As it was Friday evening, the shopping center was open until midnight meaning they’d been and were still able to wander around at their pleasure.  
  
Settling into a booth with their hot beverages and snacks, Virgil glanced at his watch. It was nearly nine pm. John had confiscated his mobile phone so if anyone realized he was missing they wouldn’t badger him. The artist was grateful but at the same time a little worried. This was real out of character for his blonde brother, and Virgil wondered whether it stemmed deeper than just wanting to cheer him up.  
  
“Johnny, why are you doing this?”  
  
“Why not? My little brother needed cheered up and I’d like to think I’ve done just that, don’t you think?” he answered coolly.  
  
“Not that I don’t appreciate it – trust me, I _really_ do – but you don’t get into trouble John. So why?”  
  
John let out a long breath before replying. “It wasn’t fair of Scott to ground you, he knows none of what happened is your fault. He’s just so stressed he’s starting to lash out at whoever happens to be in front of him. He tries so hard Virg to keep it in but sometimes when dad really gets to him he can’t take it. It terrifies me most of the time but he cools off pretty quickly.  
  
“I thought they’d reached some sort of mutual understanding but it seems they’re just heading for a relapse which is what none of us need when he’s so close to leaving. This time next year he’ll be at Yale spreading his wings but will he want to come back to our family the way it is? He didn’t want to ground you Virg, he promised he’d talk to you and clear the air. But he bedded down early, Gordy’s capable of babysitting Alan for a night and Dad was just Dad and locked himself away. So I took matters into my own hand to make sure you get what you needed. You shouldn’t have to suffer for what goes on between Scott and Dad.”  
  
That stunned Virgil into silence for a while as he chewed over what John had said. The aftermath of their mother’s death had affected the family hard. Dad hadn’t been able to deal and had shut himself off and buried himself in his work.  
  
Not just an ex-astronaut but also a rich millionaire businessman, his hard work and dedication having paid off, he’d started to spend more time with his sons, but that obviously hadn’t shaken Scott’s bitterness towards the Tracy patriarch for neglecting them. Virgil wasn’t naïve, he knew how much Scott had contributed and taken over as the leader of the house. But he hadn’t really understood the point of his eldest brother and father’s fights.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by a figure looming over the table. Virgil jumped thinking it was Scott, or even their dad. But the laugh and sneer at that action told him it wasn’t. Looking up, he nearly groaned aloud as he saw one of Steelton’s cronies – a tall, well-built boy with dark brown hair and a hideously-too-large nose.  
  
“Tracy, shouldn’t you be in bed like the baby you are?” Frank gloated.  
  
“Shut it, Rhodes,” Virgil growled back, not in the mood for a confrontation right now.  
  
“Oooh touchy. I just wanted to let you know we’ll get you on Monday, payback for hurting Gary. You got lucky, we won’t hurt you too bad. We thought he was dead.”  
  
Virgil raised his voice in anger. “Hey I didn’t see you waiting for an ambulance! Did you actually wonder if he was okay? Or are you just threatening me because he will live and he’s still your leader?”  
  
“Virg,” John warned. Then Rhodes turned on him.  
  
“You, shut it! No friend of Tracy’s will get away from us either.”  
  
That made Virgil inwardly smirk, the guy hadn’t caught on that this was his brother and not just a friend. John had caught on too and was playing along, until the time was right to act.  
  
“Try it,” John growled. “No one threatens my friend and gets away with-” But he was cut off mid sentence.   
  
Their heated exchange was halted abruptly as an unmistakable sound echoed, as loud an explosion, through the open doorway of the cafe. There was a split second moment of utter stillness where nobody moved, all eyes snapping immediately towards the interruption, and Virgil exchanged a panicked look with John. It was a sound the artist never thought he'd hear with his own ears.  
  
Gunshots.

 


	4. The Takeover

Chapter Four  
The Takeover

The three timed consecutive shots had the desired effect of attracting attention. Terrified shoppers screamed but halted where they stood in the hope of preventing harm coming to them.  
  
As the figures in black invaded the sizeable Mall they split up, some heading up the escalators to the upper floor to secure it whilst the remaining on the ground gathered those inside the shops and herded them into the main stretch. The ringleader, who had fired the shots, ordered for the shoppers to sit down and stay silent whilst another waded through confiscating communication devices.  
  
This had been planned precisely; the infiltration on the hour, the hostages - being ex-military they knew what they were doing. All that was left was the robbing of the bank.  
  
The commander smirked, they could have done it quieter but they were men of action. Besides, they’d need hostages to secure the amount they were after. No way would they have gotten ten million dollars out of the bank with the one-desperate-man-with-a-gun strategy. However, having the entire shopping centre at his mercy was certain to put pressure on the manager or whichever oaf had access to the money.  
  
He’d ordered his men to leave the bank alone until the entire area was under their control. Communications had been knocked out, as had the alarms, the outdoor shutters brought down and CCTV placed on a believable loop so there was no getting caught by the cops. The bank was quite conveniently placed a few shops down from the main entrance, meaning they could keep an eye on the hostages whilst making their demands.  
  
He waited for the all clear from his men that every shopper was down on the floor in front of him before giving the orders to proceed.  
  
It was time.

* * *

 

 _“You, shut it! No friend of Tracy’s will get away from us either.”_  
  
_“Try it,” John growled. “No one threatens my friend and gets away with-” But he was cut off mid-sentence._  
  
Their heated exchange was halted abruptly as an unmistakeable sound echoed, as loud as an explosion, through the open doorway of the café. There was a split-second moment of utter stillness where nobody moved, all eyes snapping towards the interruption, and Virgil exchanged a panicked look with John. It was a sound the artist thought he’d never hear with his own ears.  
  
Gunshots.  
  
“GET DOWN!” John yelled immediately, pulling Virgil to the floor under the table, slightly difficult given their bags full of purchases.  
  
“What’s going on?” Virgil asked but when a voice bellowed out John put his hand over his mouth to silence him.  
  
“EVERYONE OUT, NOW!”  
  
There was a rush of footsteps and a few screams as people made no hurry in obeying. Virgil guessed the new voice belonged to someone with a gun in their hand and not someone trying to better the situation.  
  
“Keep quiet,” John whispered in his ear, Virgil only nodded in response as the threatening sound of booted feet hitting the floor made his heart hammer.  
  
“Come on boys, I know you’re still here. Come out wherever you are and I won’t hurt you,” the voice said with a smugness that made Virgil’s blood run cold. Part of him was terrified, but he didn’t let it show. He was too angry with whoever this was interrupting his night. Then again, was this karma catching up so soon?  
  
The figure the voice belonged to found them all too easily and they were practically dragged to their feet and out the door into the Mall, but not before Virgil had had the gun pressed tightly to his head when John dared to ask what was going on.  
  
When they emerged, Virgil discovered his night was well and truly ruined. The previously bustling shopping centre was deathly quiet; the shoppers sat in a crowd, cross-legged with their hands on their knees while more black-clad figures stood guard, each one in a balaclava hiding their identities. Briefly looking around, he saw more people being herded much like him and John and he spotted Frank Rhodes already in the crowd on the floor having made a run for it at the sight of the gun. If this was a hostage situation much like in the many films he’d seen then they would have to be deadly careful – anything could happen.  
  
John said nothing as they were both roughly shoved to the floor at the back of the group, but gave the masked man a glare. Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, he studied their predicament, his mind racing. How long would they be here? What was going to happen? What were these people after? The bank he guessed. His suspicions were confirmed when the masked guy at the front, the leader he assumed, gave an order.  
  
“Alright, we’re go for the bank.”  
  
John watched as he and the men advanced on the bank a few shops behind where they sat. Taking advantage of the fact they’d been left pretty much unguarded, he chanced a conversation with his younger brother.  
  
“You alright?” he whispered, Virgil nodded back. “I thought for a moment they’d come for us and us alone, but it seems they don’t know who we are.”  
  
Virgil frowned. “What do you mean?”  
  
“Come on, Virg. You know how well-known the name Tracy is, Dad is a national hero and it’s no secret we have money. For now, it appears we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a potential nightmare.”  
  
“Shut it!” another masked man from their left called, having spotted them talking.  
  
Then the men returned, pulling some hysterical employees from the bank. One woman was in floods of tears as she was screaming at the man that held her (they were obviously male by their voices and their bough and well-trained bodies, John had a hunch they were military, meaning they knew exactly what they were doing).  
  
“Please! No-one here has access, we can’t help you!” the woman cried. Dressed in a smart business dress and blazer with her shoulder-length blonde hair tied in a braid over one shoulder Virgil gasped as he recognised her. It was Mrs Parker, Dan’s mum. He and Virgil should have been here together tonight. He quickly scanned the crowd for a sight of his best friend and felt better not being able to see him. Either Dan hadn’t come or he’d already left.  
  
“That’s Dan’s mom!” the artist hissed to his older brother.  
  
“I know.” John whispered back. “Is he here?”  
  
“No I can’t see him, must’ve gone home already.” John nodded as he kept watching the scene before them. Virgil looked back too, thoughts whizzing around his head as he tried to process what was going on. These men wanted access to money but Mrs Parker was denying it saying no one present could get into the safe for them. Virgil had no idea if she was telling the truth or not, but the men appeared to believe so, and it was an unanticipated flaw in their otherwise flawless plan. The artist felt a rush of pride at Jane Parker’s bravery.  
  
“Then who has?” the leader demanded.  
  
“I’m not telling you,” Mrs Parker bravely replied, but instantly cowered when guns were pointed at her. She stepped back, her hands held up in surrender. “Okay, okay!”  
  
“Crap” John groaned and Virgil shot him a questioning look. But John didn’t answer as Dan’s mom got there first.  
  
“Jeff Tracy,” she breathed.  
  
Virgil swallowed, understanding immediately why John was worked up. The fact his father had a considerable share in the bank didn’t surprise Virgil. What did surprise him however, was what John had said earlier about not being recognised. That piece of information was surely not going to stay under wraps much longer now they needed Jeff Tracy in the building. But, he thought with a sigh of relief, that was only down to the men not recognising them.  
  
“Well contact Tracy now and get him here, pronto!”  
  
“He’s most likely away on business,” Mrs Parker replied calmly.  
  
What Virgil didn’t anticipate was someone willingly giving him up, as Frank Rhodes took the opportunity to right then. Standing up and pointing straight at Virgil, he shouted as loud as he could.  
  
“His son’s here, Virgil Tracy, he’s over there!”

* * *


	5. They're our Brothers, We're all Coming

 

Chapter Five  
They're our Brothers, We're all Coming

 Back at the Tracy house, it was pandemonium. Once Gordon had checked himself that Virgil was nowhere to be seen as Alan had said, he’d gone straight to Scott, regardless of what he’d said earlier about letting him rest. His eldest brother would never have forgiven him if he’d been left to sleep whilst two of his brothers were missing. Yes, not one but two. When Alan went to find John he returned in tears again as he bawled that their other blond brother had disappeared too.  
  
The prankster then made the mistake of turning on the TV in Scott’s room as it came up with a newsflash from the ten pm news. Scott just sat and stared, a gnawing feeling in his stomach told him exactly where their missing brothers were.  
  
__**KANSAS MALL UNDER SEIGE. POLICE SUSPECT UP TO 200 SHOPPERS AND STAFF HELD HOSTAGE.**  
  
As the words scrolled along the bottom of the screen, the camera showed an aerial shot of the Mall, apparently closed as with the metal shutters down you couldn’t see inside. But it was Friday night, and Scott knew for a fact it was open late.  
  
“Three guesses where Virg and Johnny are, Gords,” he sighed, before his big brother instinct kicked in. John and Virgil were in there he just knew; it was just too much of a coincidence, them going missing and for this to happen.  
  
He also knew John would keep Virgil safe, but Scott couldn’t get through his head how they had ended up there. It appeared Virgil had somehow forced the second eldest to take him out, but as he chewed that idea over he dismissed it. He knew Virgil wouldn’t disobey him which left him with John, obviously having taken matters into his own hands following their conversation earlier. He made a mental note to have a stern word with the stargazer later, but right now all that mattered to him was their safety.  
  
He cursed himself for not clearing things up with his middle brother earlier. Instead, he’d been stubborn and just left Virgil alone and all of them had done their own things that evening. If Scott had taken John’s advice and gone straight to Virgil to make things up to him, they’d have been fine and his two younger brothers wouldn’t be in this situation.  
  
_“Over to our reporter Jen who is on the scene. Jen, what exactly can you tell us?”_  
  
The female reporter was stood with the Mall entrance in the background. Sirens were flashing and distant voices could be heard as the emergency services discussed the situation.  
  
_“Well to be quite honest no one knows a big deal about what is going on inside the shopping centre behind me. Witnesses have told how they saw black-clad figures storm inside; this was at nine o’clock this evening. Gunshots were heard but the security shutters were brought down and police can find no evidence of a disturbance through CCTV cameras but speculation is armed robbery. We have been told that a panic button alert from inside the bank brought the police department here which possibly confirms this. All inside communications have been disabled so police out here are powerless to help. The best they can hope for is someone from the inside making contact.”_  
  
After switching off the television and thinking for a few seconds, Scott came to the decision that they had no choice but to notify their father. This was an emergency so all arguments be damned. Jeff needed to know and he needed to act.  
  
He didn’t even knock, just barged into the study and came right out with the situation. John and Virgil were in danger and something needed to be done. It was out of Scott’s hands and the seventeen-year-old knew it was probably out of Jeff Tracy’s hands too, but they had to try something. Scott was grateful to the fact that his father immediately cut the business meeting he was having via the monitor with someone called Hackenbacker and jumped straight into action.  
  
“Where did you last see them? Are you sure they’re in there?”  
  
“I haven’t seen Virgil since I dropped him home,” Scott admitted. “He was with Gordon and Alan watching a film before he headed to his room. But I was with John a few hours ago before I went to bed. It was Alan who discovered they were missing; it appears John snuck Virgil out of the house. Virg was supposed to be at the Mall with his friend tonight anyway, I’m certain John’s taken him.”  
  
Jeff looked at his three remaining sons before replying. “Okay. Scott, you stay here and look after Alan and Gordon. I’ll go down there and see if there’s anything I can do.”  
  
As Scott shook his head ready to protest, Alan ran into their father’s arms. Jeff picked him up and hugged him fiercely back.  
  
“We wanna save Virg and Johnny too, Daddy!”  
  
“You can’t expect us to sit here and not know what’s going on, dad. They’re our brothers,” Gordon chipped in.  
  
“We’re all coming,” Scott agreed.  
  
“Alright,” he nodded before turning to the eldest. “Scott just so you know, I will do anything and everything in my power to get John and Virgil home safe. That goes for all of you; you’re my boys and I love you all so much. I’m sorry I’ve made things difficult since your mom died and I’m truly sorry for not seeing how I’ve hurt you sooner.”  
  
Seeing the sincere look of worry and desperation in his father’s eyes, Scott nodded back, not prepared to argue. “I know.”  
  
“Your mom wouldn’t want this and from now on I will be the dad I’m supposed to be and that’s a promise. Now, let’s go rescue John and Virgil.”  
  
But before they could exit the study, the phone rang. As Alan was in Jeff’s arms Scott answered it, and nearly dropped it when he heard his middle brother’s voice. Putting it on speaker he held it out so everyone in the room could hear.  
  
_"This is Virgil Grissom Tracy calling from the Blue Hills Mall am I speaking to my father?”_  
  
His voice was calm and steady, but Scott detected a slight tremble. There was no doubt Virgil was being forced to say whatever demands he was about to make. Scott’s fists clenched as he prayed silently to whoever was listening that nothing would happen to him.  
  
“Yes Virgil, I’m here,” Dad answered immediately. “Are you alright?”  
  
_“You are required to come here immediately to withdraw a total of ten million dollars, no less, from your safe to be exchanged for the lives of everyone here, including me. You will not, I repeat, not notify the police or anyone else of this information, you come alone else there will be consequences. A representative will meet you in the staff car park; use the maintenance entrance down Kimble Avenue and code 36J to activate the door. You have until the end of the hour to arrive. Is that understood?”_  
  
“Understood, son. I’m on my way.”  
  
_“Better beat it, Tracy,”_ a different voice called down the line before it was disconnected.  
  
“What happens now?” Gordon asked after a few seconds silence, a frown etched on his face from what he’d just heard and Scott could feel the same expression on his own face.  
  
“I’ll go alone like they’ve asked. Scott you follow in your car with Alan and Gordon but wait outside with the police and inform them of the situation. Act like you’ve overheard the conversation and you know what I’m doing.”  
  
“You got it, Dad.” Alan however clung to his father even tighter when Scott tried to extract him from his arms. “Come on, Sprout, Dad knows what he’s doing. He’s an army man remember? He’s a hero; he’ll get them out.”  
  
“And Johnny?” the six-year-old asked, his lower lip trembling. “Where’s Johnny?”  
  
“I bet he’s right beside him don’t you worry.” But in spite of himself, the teen pilot did worry as he watched his father set off ahead and he strapped Alan into the booster seat in the back of his car minutes later. There had been no mention or indication that John was even there. Virgil had said ‘me’ not ‘us’, which gnawed at the eldest Tracy’s insides the entire journey to the Mall.  
  
Something was wrong. Just what the hell had happened to John?

* * *


	6. Brothers in Peril

Chapter Six  
Brothers in Peril

_“Understood, son. I’m on my way.”  
  
_ Virgil nodded even though he knew his father couldn’t see but before he could say anything else the phone was snatched away from where it had been held out in front of him, on speaker so everyone could hear the conversation.  
  
“Better beat it, Tracy,” the leader spat into it before hanging up.   
  
Virgil allowed himself to sag somewhat in relief. His father was coming for them. He had no doubt Scott would be with him too, at least as much as he could without being discovered. Virgil hoped so anyway, but there was a gnawing in the pit of his stomach as he thought about his family. His dad was going to put himself in danger (as who knew what these men would do to him when he arrived?) in order to get everyone trapped in here out safe and sound. He felt a surge of pride towards his father but also worry. He desperately hoped nothing would happen.  
  
After Frank Rhodes had proclaimed to the world that Virgil was there with them and could be used as a means of guarantee the invaders would receive the money, the artist had been seized. Hauled to his feet and all but dragged to the front of the crowd, Virgil made sure to shoot Rhodes a glare and looking at the crowd around him, many of the public were doing the same. Many, if not all of them, knew both Virgil and John and indeed the rest of the Tracy clan, some having greeted them throughout the evening, were pulling together to protect both of Jeff Tracy’s sons from harm.  
  
Once at the front his hands had been bound behind his back so he couldn’t struggle and was held in a tight grip by one of the men, and forced to his knees with a gun trained on his head. The leader, Virgil decided to nickname him Bane on account of his masked appearance, height and annoying intimidation, began briskly giving him instructions before demanding he give Jeff Tracy’s phone number.  
  
Although Gordon was the comic book enthusiast, Virgil had the grasp of a few characters when he’d been forced to listen to his younger brother recount word for word his favourite stories. That, and the feature films he’d seen he’d actually quite enjoyed. The villain Bane had always stuck out to him, masked mystery, dangerous and frightening, and so for the sake of naming the leader of this horrendous money-grabbing gang (or League of Assassins which sprang to mind), he chose him. The leader himself was not nearly as muscly and the effect was slightly ruined by the bright blue human eyes visible, but it was otherwise a pretty good likeness.  
  
So Bane had demanded his father’s phone number and Virgil had been forced to repeat the words as instructed. Once the phone had been snatched away before he could add any personal message he was then hauled to his feet again, which was painful given he was pulled by his elbows.  
  
“Right, we’re gonna have to put you somewhere else while we deal with your daddy,” Bane snapped, shoving him away from the crowd for emphasis.  
  
“Leave him alone! Jeff Tracy will have your heads for this!” a female voice called from where she was being held by another Assassin nearby. It was Mrs Parker. Virgil was thrown to the floor again; landing on his back but ignored the pain that shot through his left arm as he watched Bane advance on her instead.  
  
“No, lady. He’s gonna get us what we want, considerably faster. You shut your mouth and keep quiet.” And with that he backhanded her across the face leading her to fall to the floor. In response Virgil managed to get to his feet, a difficulty as he kept overbalancing with his hands behind him, and scurried over to where Mrs Parker had fallen and was rubbing her cheek where a vicious bruise was already forming.  
  
“Mrs Parker, are you alright?”  
  
“Don’t worry about me, Virgil dear, you just make sure you look after yourself,” she replied softly with a smile. “I’m so sorry I didn’t realise you were here. Dan said you couldn’t come as you were grounded - he came to see me earlier but went home to help the babysitter with Joey.”  
  
Virgil frowned at her, puzzled, but they were interrupted.  
  
“Oi, enough chatter you two!” Bane shouted, returning Virgil to his feet before demanding in his face. “You tell me the truth now, got me? Are there any other Tracys here I should know about, huh? None of your brat brothers here with you tonight?”  
  
Thankful for small mercies, the fact Rhodes hadn’t caught on to John’s identity, Virgil glowered back. So far he had avoided John’s eye, not wanting to give him away but right now their eyes made contact for a split second before Virgil replied calmly. “No. It’s just me, I only came with a friend.”  
  
Bane and his gang of Assassins looked expectantly at the crowd as if they magically expected someone to give himself up. The one who’d brought John and Virgil from the shop nodded, confirming Virgil’s story.  
  
“Okay. Red, Leaf, lock him in one of the offices in the bank,” he ordered, gesturing to the two nearest masked men. “Jeff Tracy will have to earn you back, boy.”  
  
As Virgil began to be led away in the direction of the bank, his mind racing, a voice made him and the men holding him stop and turn. A very familiar voice.  
  
“Wait!”  
  
“Shut it, boy! Sit down!” Bane shouted and the man who’d escorted them in the first place went over to make him sit. But John stood his ground, on his feet with his hands raised by his shoulders in a show of surrender.  
  
“I’m John Glenn Tracy, Virgil’s brother.”  
  
Virgil sighed and looked at the floor in defeat. He should have known.  
  
“Well well, Virgie, make a habit of lying to your peers, do we?” Bane taunted, and ‘Red’ and ‘Leaf’ either side of him sniggered. “Grab the blond, lock them together and guard them, the more the merrier.”  
  
Unlike Virgil, John didn’t struggle as he too was seized and led towards the bank. Once inside they were placed into an office (labelled **‘Mrs J. Parker. Branch Manager.’** which didn’t do anything to brighten Virgil’s spirits) with no outside windows. The door was locked behind them and the blind on the door window was left open for the guards to keep an eye on them. Looking around there was a desk with a computer at the back of the room, surrounded by four padded chairs, a filing cabinet stood against the wall to the right nearest the door while on the opposite side of the room was a locked metal cupboard.  
  
Virgil sank into the nearest chair and John had untied his hands before sitting beside him. As he cradled his throbbing left one, there was definitely some damage but he couldn’t tell what, anger at their predicament ignited and he rounded on his brother.  
  
“Nice one, John. You could’ve done something a hell of a lot more useful if you hadn’t given yourself up! You could have told someone outside what was going on!”  
  
“They wouldn’t have let anybody go until the deal was secured,” John bit back, albeit calmly.  
  
“You watch, they’ll let the general crowd out now as they’re no longer needed. I alone was more valuable than all of them but with two of us here together now they might as well open up the place again! This gang, whoever they are, can’t be touched as long as they’ve got us! When you got outside with everyone else you could have given the police better information, everyone else would have panicked.”  
  
“I couldn’t let them take you alone, Virg, even if Dad is on his way meaning this will be all over soon. Besides, Scott would have had my head if he found out I’d abandoned you, and I’d never do that in a million years.”  
  
“You think they know we’re here?”  
  
“Virgil, you know Scott has this big brother sense that lets him know when we’re in trouble. He would have noticed we were missing and after frantically searching for us would have had to tell Dad. Then there’s the phone call you made which I bet they all heard in which case despite your pleas otherwise, Scotty is right outside with the cops while Dad comes to rescue us. Of _course_ they know we’re here!”  
  
“I hope so,” Virgil replied, walking over to lean against the desk, hands by his sides resting on the edge. The wrong decision as it aggravated his wrist again and he winced, drawing it away as though he’d been burned.  
  
“You alright?” John asked.  
  
He nodded back. “Yeah, fell awkwardly earlier that’s all, just a sprain.”  
  
The blond nodded in response, satisfied Virgil hadn’t been too badly damaged and they fell into silence as they waited for something to happen. Virgil was immersed in his thoughts, thinking about all that had happened that night so far. Then a thought struck him as he remembered precisely what had been bugging him – what Dan’s mom had said after he’d sustained the injury and he frowned thoughtfully.   
  
“John?”  
  
“Mmm?” The faraway tone to John’s voice indicated he too was lost in his thoughts. Virgil nevertheless pushed on.  
  
“Jane said to me that Dan was here earlier.”  
  
John shrugged, shooting him a quizzical look. “So, what? She said he’d left. If he was here he’d have been caught like the rest of us.”  
  
“I know, just let me finish. It’s what she said after that got me. She said he’d gone to help the babysitter with Joey.” He looked pointedly at his older brother, eyebrows raised. John however didn’t catch on and Virgil sighed dramatically.  
  
“What’s wrong with that, Virg?” he asked wearily.  
  
“John, Dan is fourteen and Joey is older than Scott. They don’t need a babysitter!”  
  
That got John’s attention. “So you think she was being cryptic on purpose?” he asked, realisation setting in.  
  
“Yes!” Virgil exclaimed. “He never left, he’s still here somewhere. He must have hid!”  
  
Knowing the Parkers had somehow managed to outsmart Bane and his cronies filled Virgil with a sense of joy and relief. They had the advantage, or at least an ace up their sleeve. The icing on the cake was when they heard a muffled groggy shout from the locked metal cupboard in the corner of the office.  
  
“Virgil? Virgil is that you?”  
  
Virgil glanced at John with a satisfied smirk. They had a way out.

 

* * *

**To be continued**


	7. Dan's Tale

**Chapter Seven**  
**Dan’s Tale**  


Dan Parker stirred to the sound of distant voices. He hadn’t even realised he’d dozed off. Raising his head slowly the first thing that hit him was the pain from his screaming limbs, the small width of the cabinet forcing him to have his knees pressed up tightly against his chest as he sat on the floor. Just how long had he been asleep? He didn’t own a watch and his phone was still in the process of being repaired after he’d foolishly dropped it out of a tree in his back garden two days ago. Brilliant. **  
**  
Then images of what had happened at some point earlier flashed across his brain. The Mall. Guns. Screams. Mom shoving him into the cupboard. Locked in. Must keep silent.  
  
His heart was racing. Where was she? Was she okay? What the hell was going on?  
  
Putting his head in his hands he chewed over the events of the day.  
  
_“We’re still on for tonight, right?” Virgil Tracy greeted him as they entered the school.  
  
They’d known each other since kindergarten, the artist’s quiet nature and love of painting instantly drawing Dan to him. Although he knew he was nowhere **near** as talented as the middle Tracy, it was still an escape he enjoyed. He remembered other five-year-old kids attempting to befriend him while firing questions about his famous astronaut father only served them no response in return. Dan had been one of few to actually bond with Virgil for true friendship rather than to meet ex-Air Force Colonel and lunar astronaut Jefferson Tracy, though he couldn’t deny he’d been pretty nervous the first time he’d been round to the Tracy household.  
  
__“Of course,” Dan replied with a grin. “I just need more pencils, then we’re heading to the football store. I need to grab this season’s shirt for Joey’s birthday next week.”  
  
__Virgil gave him an incredulous look. “You know it’s the middle of the season right?”  
  
__He shrugged. “Yeah I know, but he’s been badgering me for weeks. Funny really, he never used to be a fan but I think it has everything to do with his latest girrrlfriend,” he drawled before giving a chuckle as they walked along the maze of corridors.  
  
__“That’s Megan Winters in Scotty’s year, right? I think she’s been round our place a few times.”  
  
__“Yep, that’s the girl. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a teenaged girl so enthusiastic about football before. FIGHTING, EVER FIGHTING FOR A WILDCAT VICTORY! GOOOOO STATE!” he sang, punching his fist into the air in mock support. “Nah, it’s because her older brother plays Centre for the team so she has a reason. But Joey’s never set foot in a football stadium until two months ago!”  
  
__Virgil clapped him on the back. “Trust me, boys in love do anything to impress the girl of their dreams.”  
  
__Dan scoffed. “Yeah, who’d have thought future Air Force star Scott Tracy would ever willingly take up something like knitting!” He said, grinning at Virgil so he knew he was joking.  
  
__“Oh Gords is **never** gonna let him live that down!” Virgil was laughing so hard he was clutching his side, and Dan joined in. Having been the subject of Virgil’s younger brother’s pranks before, he felt sympathy for the eldest. “Grandma was more than pleased to teach him!”  
  
__“So what are you getting later?”  
  
__“Quite a few things actually. I have a list; sketch pads, paints, pastels and canvas. And I wouldn’t mind a nosy round the music shop. Then Gordon wants me to pick up some new goggles and John’s after the latest astronomy book for his birthday coming up in two weeks.”  
  
__“You just don’t stop do ya, you Tracys?” Dan replied, shaking his head and smiling in awe. His only real hobby was tennis and that was just for leisure.  
  
__Virgil had won the interstate art exhibition in fifth grade, earning him quite a bit of national fame, and was also due to take his grade eight piano exam in the coming months. When Dan, or anyone for that matter, asked Virgil if he was considering art or music college as a future he always declined, saying they were just hobbies. Even at thirteen, Virgil already had an idea where he was headed. He was fascinated by the medical sciences and Dan put that down to constantly looking out for four brothers. He’d thought he and Joey were close, but that was nothing after seeing how close knit the Tracy boys were.  
  
__They were all gifted at something too. For ten-year-old Gordon it was swimming, who even now was nearing the level to qualify for Olympic team training, the press referred to him in every aquatic sport report nowadays. John the second eldest could speak five different languages and was pretty much a technology genius, and Scott was heading to Yale next fall while simultaneously training in the Air Force.  
  
__Listing all that down in his head made the Tracy boys seem a bit overwhelming but Dan knew precisely otherwise. They were all ordinary boys with exceptional talents, all polite, bright and non-judgmental, contrary to the press claims of them being spoilt, money-loving and led astray by their father’s fame. He got on with all of Virgil’s brother well, and Dan knew for a fact that Jeff Tracy loved his sons dearly, and had brought them up with morals just like any other good parent.  
  
__Virgil had confided in him that things weren’t exactly perfect though and hadn’t been since Lucy’s death during their skiing holiday in Valais over two years previous. Dan’s family had helped out the Tracys as often as they could in the aftermath, knowing what it felt like to be a single parented family – Dan’s father had left his mother when he was five - the grief tearing an obvious rift within the family of six. It wasn’t common knowledge that seventeen-year-old Scott had pretty much taken charge of his brothers, as Jeff had shut himself off. But Dan checked up on Virgil pretty much every day and he assured him that things were okay.  
  
__First lesson of the day was Math, which put him in a bad mood as none of the questions made any sense to him. Art however second lesson, was quite eventful and was sure to be a lesson none present would forget for a long while.  
  
__As ninth graders, they were beginning mock examination prep ready for the spring. Everyone had their own two-seater desk in the class, and Dan sat behind Virgil on the right hand side of the rectangular spacious room. Their teacher, Mr Johnson, had left them to get on with their own work and was busying himself at his desk, and Dan and Virgil had been conversing happily whilst drawing, painting and colouring.  
  
__Just after half way through the lesson Virgil headed to the back of the class to add more paint colours to his resource tile – a completely ordinary occurrence when the artist was concentrating. From across the classroom he could hear Gary Steelton gloating loudly to the rest of the class about how much of a waste of time the lesson was.  
  
__“I don’t need drawing lessons to break a face in when I become a champion!”  
  
__“No one’s better than Steel Man!”  
  
__“Give me an opponent’s face and I’ll happily decorate it with my fist!”  
  
__Rolling his eyes, Dan ignored the taunts. The idiot thought he was above everybody else around him and didn’t need to bother in school because he’d become a famous boxer, and who needed an education to beat people up? Certainly not Gary, who proved his point day in day out picking on students at random in the high school. Unfortunately, Virgil Tracy had become one of his favourite targets he visited again and again. Not the type to physically fight back, Virgil was mincemeat every time Steelton chose to bully him – practically a delicacy in his opinion.  
  
__Glancing back over at the idiot’s table with the intention of shooting a glare, Dan saw it vacant. Surprised, he scanned the room only to be greeted with the sight of Virgil turning around from the paint stock and heading back his way. By the shape of his mouth he was humming a tune, eyes absently flitting around the room. Dan spotted Gary making his way to the back, presumably to top up his resource tile too (he never dared to openly start an incident with Virgil in front of a teacher) up the same aisle of desks Virgil was heading down.  
  
__Almost as if Gary’s presence had made itself known in Virgil’s mind before his eyes registered it, Virgil’s foot chose that moment to slip slightly on the floor causing him to flail his arms in front of him to prevent landing in a heap on the floor. Unable to keep hold of the lightweight ceramic tile, it flew out of his hand, the liquid paint coming loose. Time seemed to slow down dramatically as Dan watched the paint and the tile hit Steelton in the chest, causing his white shirt to be coloured like the rainbow.  
  
__For Virgil’s part, the teen merely stared wide-eyed at what he’d just let happen. The rest of the class however, erupted in laughter. No one would have ever dared to actually show Gary up like that intentionally, least of all Virgil. But the fact that it had happened, even by accident, sent even Virgil sniggering.  
  
__“It was hilarious, admit it Virge!” Dan congratulated him an hour later as they headed to lunch. They’d just had science which, thank God, Steelton wasn’t in, not possessing the brain power required to be placed in the top level class.  
  
__“I honestly didn’t mean to, but it did feel good,” Virgil admitted. “I’m just worried it’s the motive he needs to come after me again, and I don’t think it’ll be pretty.”  
  
__Dan had to agree with him there. The news had already sprung around like wildfire, as it wasn’t very often that one of his victims got the upper hand on Gary Steelton, even if it was accidental.  
  
__“Ooomph!” Gary let out as he walked into Virgil, who for some reason had stopped in his tracks. They were in one of the side corridors off the main drag near the language block and it was practically empty. However looking around Virgil, he discovered just what had made his friend stop.  
  
__Steelton was stood, flanked by three of his gang, a menacing look on his face as his eyes flashed dangerously. Before he could stop him Virgil had double backed and ran, with Gary close on his tail in a second. Knowing he’d never keep up with them Dan decided to get help before anything too drastic happened. Most if not all the teachers would be in the staff room during lunch break so he immediately headed there. Ten minutes later he’d informed the staff room of what he’d seen and suspected, the teachers taking him seriously knowing what Steelton was capable of and split up to search for the boys. Dan was told to head to the Principal’s office to recall his side of the incident and wait there until further notice.  
  
__He was still there when one of the eleventh grade English teachers flew in and said an ambulance was on its way as a student was unconscious at the bottom of the stairs, barely 100metres from her classroom. Dan had initially panicked thinking it was Virgil but was assured his best friend was okay, only sporting a bruised cheek and on his way over here. Scott Tracy was to be contacted to take the thirteen-year-old home, even if he was in the middle of his pilot test away from school.  
  
__At that point Dan was shooed back to afternoon classes. But it wasn’t the same without Virgil and his mood gradually clouded. Students coming up to him and bombarding him with questions about the incident made his sour demeanour even worse, and he was practically depressed as he entered his house later remembering he was supposed to be heading to the Mall later that evening.  
  
__After a tea of pizza with Joey, a phone call to the Tracy house confirmed his suspicions of Virgil being grounded. He’d attempted to call Virgil’s mobile but it had just gone to voicemail. Either it had been confiscated, or the young artist just wanted some space.  
  
__After what felt like hours of simply flicking channels aimlessly on the TV, Dan decided to head to the Mall anyway. His mom worked late Friday nights at the local branch of the national bank so he could go and talk to her for a bit before he headed to do his shopping.  
  
__t was around half eight when he’d finally persuaded Joey to drive him up to the Mall, with a firm promise of paying him back by bringing him home a box of cookies, Dan headed straight to the bank. Enquiring at reception he was lead straight into his mom’s office as she was presently unoccupied.  
  
__“Daniel, sweetheart, what are you doing here?” she asked as she warmly embraced him. “Is Virgil not with you?”  
  
__“No mom, there was an incident with Gary and he got grounded. But I needed to pick up a few things anyway so Joey gave me a lift.”  
  
__“It’s a bit late though don’t you think? I’d expected you to be gone before now.”  
  
__“Well at first I put off coming alone without Virgil, but I just couldn’t stand sitting home bored out of my head.”  
  
__“Well take a seat, would you like anything to drink? I’m sure I could get Babs to make you a hot chocolate?”  
  
__“No I’m fine, thanks Mom,” Dan smiled as he sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Looking round the room he pulled a face at how bare the room was. The walls were just plain white with absolutely no decoration and the only furniture in the room apart from the desk and chairs was a large metal cupboard in the far corner and a three-drawer wide three-drawer high filing cabinet. He couldn’t help but think his mom needed to add some colour.  
  
__“The office isn’t quite the same as home is it?” she asked with a tight-lipped smile. “I find colours distracting while I’m working, whereas at home I’m free to relax. Are you going to get on with your shopping? I’d hate you to stay out too late. I’d let you stay but I’m due to have a client just before nine.”  
  
__They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and then a brunette woman younger than his mom popped her head through the door.  
  
__“Everything alright, Babs?”  
  
__Babs eyed Dan briefly before turning back to his mom. “Jane, I couldn’t help but notice you have your son with you. I was wondering if I could borrow him for a few minutes to help me move some files?”  
  
__Mom looked like she was going to argue but she nodded at the young woman and smiling at him. “Sure. Make sure you behave, Daniel.”  
  
__“I will, Mom,” he assured her, following Babs into a nearby storage room full of filing cabinets.  
  
__“These are just old records that we’re in the process of transferring to the monitors with the aid of the newest upgrade from Tracy Enterprises. As Jeff Tracy himself pretty much owns this branch you’d think it would have come earlier, don’t you think?”  
  
__“Jeff Tracy?” Dan asked, making sure he’d heard clearly.  
  
__“You know him?” Babs asked, beginning to empty drawers of the files and placing them in a trolley.  
  
__“I know one of his sons better – Virgil – but yeah, I’m a friend of the family.”  
  
__“Wow, lucky you. Is he as nice in person as people round here say he is? The press make out that he’s up his own arse and his kids are the same.”  
  
__Dan raised his eyebrows at her in shock. “For your information, Jeff Tracy and his boys are just about the most considerate bunch of people I’ve ever had the privilege to meet.”  
  
__“Well, as you appear to be a reliable source I won’t listen to rumours in the future. Right, I think I have enough files for now, you can get back to your mom,” she dismissed with a forced smile.  
  
__Once back in his Jane Parker’s office Dan was just about to say farewell and head off to the shops when a distant sound reached his ears. A sound he’d heard one too many times from the amount of action films he watched, but had never heard in real life ever before.  
  
__Gunshots.  
  
__He stood blinking, wondering if he’d just been hearing things but that changed when his mom was instantly out of her seat. There was a look of panic on his face as she made her way towards him in a flash. Dan could now hear screams and shouts coming from within the Mall.  
  
__“Dan, in the cupboard NOW!” she shouted at him, all but pushing him forward. He didn’t get a chance to say a word before he was being shoved sideways onto the metal floor. There was barely enough room for him to sit and his head just missed the shelf above him by centimetres.  
  
__“Mom!” he shouted as the cupboard was shut and locked – he could hear the jangle of keys.  
  
__“Sorry Daniel, Mommy loves you. Just stay there and keep silent!”  
  
__Minutes or hours had passed and he’d just been left alone. But exhaustion had eventually taken over and he’d drifted off to sleep._  
  
“I know, just let me finish. It’s what she said after that got me. She said he’d gone to help the babysitter with Joey.”  
  
Wait, what? The voices invaded his thoughts bringing him back to the present. Come to think of it, he was sure he recognised it.  
  
“What’s wrong with that Virg?” another voice asked.  
  
Virg? Blinking his eyes to rid make himself more alert, he became aware of the voices speaking in the room.  
  
“John, Dan is fourteen and Joey is older than Scott. They don’t need a babysitter!”  
  
So he recognised the voice, and the voice seemed to know him. It took a few more seconds for his brain to process it but when it did and realisation set in, he sat up straighter.  
  
“Virgil? Virgil is that you?” he called.  
  
There was a second’s silence before he got a reply.  
  
“Dan! Are you alright?”  
  
Sagging in relief, he called back to his friend. “Yeah, Virg, just great. Hey, what was that about a babysitter?”

* * *

Jeff Tracy drummed the steering wheel as he made his way through the streets of Manhattan Kansas as fast as he could. Anger was welling up inside of him and was threatening to engulf him. Anger at himself and the way he’d treated his boys. Anger at the agonisingly slow speed of the traffic. Anger at every single red light. But most of all, anger at the men who were currently holding two of his beloved sons hostage. Well, definitely one. It had been Virgil speaking on the phone but what about John? Had he escaped? Was he hiding? Or was he being held separately? Were any of them hurt?  
  
Forcing his mind back to the road to prevent horrible thoughts accumulating, he gasped and swerved violently to avoid an oncoming car. Obeying Virgil’s instructions he stuck to the backstreets only. Within minutes he’d arrived at the staff entrance, which for some unknown reason wasn’t cordoned. Parking half-heartedly he raced out of the vehicle and headed for the door. As promised, there was a keypad lock on there. Taking a deep breath before punching in the code 36J, there was a soft click and the lock was released allowing Jeff to open the door.  
  
Upon stepping inside the darkened building he was seized by two black-clad figures, both with slim and stoic builds but about the same height and with balaclavas to conceal their identities. After checking that he was indeed alone, the figures marched him away, all the while Jeff praying that he’d find his John and Virgil unharmed when this was all over.


	8. Recollections - Part 1

** Chapter Eight  
Recollections Part 1 **

 Scott guided his car off the slip road and onto the freeway, all the while forcing his foot not to slam itself down on the floor. Just another mile to go until he could help. As much as he wanted to go storming in like a madman and rescue John and Virgil, he knew it really wouldn’t help matters and was probably futile. That was Dad’s job, and Scott had lost sight of his Porsche pretty much as soon as they’d set off minutes ago. He had his own job to do; looking after Alan and Gordon while telling the police what they didn’t yet know – that his dad was about to throw himself into the brunt of events to save the day.  
  
Sighing but unable to relax, he smiled tightly at his father’s actions as he drove closer and closer to Manhattan and the Mall.  
  
He loved his dad with all his heart, as any child should. But Scott couldn’t help feeling a surge of anger and frustration towards the man who hadn’t been fully present in the lives of his younger brothers over the last two years. Families were supposed to deal with tragedies together. Find strength and comfort in each other as they dealt with the grief of losing something, some _one_ , so dear to them.  
  
Scott missed his mom so, so much. Three years was nothing on his near eighteen years of age. So as clear as day he could picture her - her smile, her flowery apron she always wore when she cooked dinner, all the little details like that. He missed being able to talk to her about every little fear, every little worry he had, and she always listened and was always able to give him some sort of advice.  
  
But now? It was all on him. With her gone it had been up to him to comfort his brothers and tell them why mom was never coming home – his dad hadn’t even managed _that_ task. Afterwards it had been all up to him to calm four-year-old Alan’s nightmares, quell Gordon’s fears of going outside in the winter and help as best he could with ten-year-old Virgil’s insomnia.  
  
His three youngest brothers had actually been in the avalanche with their mom. Dad had taken Scott and John up onto the big slopes for the day while Lucy stayed back at their lodge with Al, Virg and Gords. Virgil had begged to come too but he was too young for the larger slopes, they were too steep for an inexperienced ten-year-old.  
But their mom had cheered the artist right up promising hot chocolate, snowman building, and then Virg could draw and paint pictures of the view from the lounge window.  
  
Blinking back tears, Scott could still remember that day like it was yesterday. They’d been at the very top of the slopes up in the mountains of Valais, Switzerland when the avalanche started. There’d been this deep rumbling noise, prompting the siren to be sounded up on the mountain for everyone to evacuate. They’d even seen the huge mound of snow cascading down a nearby peak as fast as pyroclastic flow from a volcano, unstoppable and equally as deadly. Knowing it was headed in the direction of the small resort where they were staying, Dad had ignored the warnings and whisked the two eldest away immediately, desperate to reach his wife and children. But by the time they’d got to their resort, where the wall of snow had finally lost energy and come to a halt, their lodge and surrounding gardens was one of many completely buried. Working frantically with the emergency services, Scott and had dug ferociously despite the numbness of his hands, refusing to believe his three little brothers and mom were gone. He was their eldest brother he was supposed to protect them, he couldn’t fail he just couldn’t!  
  
He’d actually pulled both Virg and Gordon out, the two clinging to each other for warmth and dear life, tears frozen on their grazed and friction-burnt cheeks. And Scott had clung to both of them as he cried tears of joy before handing them over to the paramedics. Virgil had sustained a dislocated left shoulder and Gordon a fractured right leg, as well as many cuts and bruises.  
  
Their father meanwhile had had worse luck, he’d found Mom. Scott thought he’d never forget the cry of despair emitted from Jeff’s lips that signalled the outcome of his own search. When he’d broken free from the paramedic holding him back, Scott had sprinted over. Dad had been on his knees, cradling a barely alive Alan to his chest who’d been in Mom’s arms - she’d been taken from the world protecting their baby brother and her youngest son. As Mom was dug out of the snow, Allie was given an oxygen mask and rushed away in an ambulance as he was beginning to show symptoms of hypothermia. Jeff had accompanied them, running a hand through Alan’s golden hair while Scott cradled Virgil and John sat with a silent Gordon. Six days they’d spent in that foreign hospital. That had been the worst six days of their lives.  
  
Scott felt the anger flowing through him again. When they were back in Kansas, had their dad comforted them in any way? Cuddled a crying Alan and slept beside him to ward away the night terrors? Ground up sleeping tablets into Virgil’s glass of milk to ensure he had a proper night’s sleep? Had he helped Scott himself to deal with his grief instead of allowing him to bottle it up in the face of his brothers?  
  
No.  
  
That first year Jeff Tracy had become a pathetic excuse for a father. When Scott woke up at six-thirty every morning to make sure his younger brothers had their breakfast and their pack-ups all sorted, and their uniforms ready, Jeff was either already busy in his study or had left the house completely to attend some business conference. And when Scott went to bed in the early hours of the morning after completing next day’s homework, after spending the evening taking his brothers out to their various out of school activities and doing laundry and cooking, Jeff never seemed to notice. All Scott wanted was for their father to come back to them, yet it wasn’t happening.  
  
Consequently, Scott’s straight-A average in high school began to slip. He’d be too exhausted during the day to concentrate, or he’d even snap at the smallest comments he heard in the corridors and be sent home. It wasn’t out of attention, he tried his damn hardest to appear as though everything was all right with his family whilst at school. Scratch that, looking of course it was out of attention – he’d wanted his father to notice. Plus, incidents with his younger brothers didn’t do much to keep up appearances. Gordon got into trouble more often than not for starting fights - actual physical fights in the primary school playground when any kid said anything insensitive about their own parents.  
  
Virgil had suffered mercilessly at the hands of Gary Steelton and had done since, the kid who had caused his middle brother to be sent home again just hours earlier. As Virgil hadn’t been sleeping during the night, he had no energy to fight back. Scott, being the protective older brother, had tried to intervene but Virgil had forbidden it, as he wanted to fight his own battles. Scott had just informed the teachers, but nothing formal was done to discipline the bully. Virgil was suffering so bad that he never once touched the piano, his keyboard or his art sets for over a year after the avalanche.  
  
John had just withdrawn into himself, spending even more time on his own than usual. Either finding escape in fiction books or up in the stars far out to space. But that changed when Scott found he couldn’t hide his emotions from his immediate younger brother, the teen pilot needing someone to vent his emotions out to. After that, the two of them had fought to keep the house functioning as normally as possible. John had only been twelve, what the hell had he ever done to deserve that responsibility?!  
  
Alan had been the ultimate glue that kept Scott sane, the four-year-old blissfully unaware to the emotional turmoil of his family had prevented Scott from cracking. The child had seemed to be the only one to have escaped emotional damage (other than the nightmares). He picked up on his older brothers’ distress and tried in his own innocent way to cheer them up and comfort them, something they all couldn’t help but appreciate.  
  
Then things hit rock bottom for Scott. Despite the false pretences he fought so hard to maintain, his school grades boldly evident on the paper to all of his teachers gave the game away. Before he’d been on track for a promising future – Yale and Harvard standard, not to mention the rumours flying about the Air Force – but with so much responsibility suddenly piled on his shoulders, the teen’s academic performance had swiftly declined out of his control.  
  
Ringing alarm bells for the teachers, Jeff Tracy had been called and demanded to attend the school immediately in person or face social services removing his boys from his care. This was little over a year after the skiing holiday. Dad, to his credit, had done exactly that and shown up, though he’d been giving a stern talking to by the Principal for jeopardising his son’s futures. Scott, Virgil and John were then sent home and allowed free time off for emotional wounds to begin to be healed and even a counsellor was discussed. Many tears had been shed that day, both by Jeff and Scott.  
  
Once home, Scott had let everything out to his father. He’d shouted, screamed, cursed and cried, letting out all of the jumbled emotions in his head out in one full-blown rant. Jeff hadn’t done anything in defence, just held Scott as he’d cried for hours.  
  
After that, his heart had felt lighter than it had done in a year. Thoroughly exhausted after such a huge emotional release he’d gone to bed and their dad had actually put his other children to bed for the first time in over a year. In the following weeks, Jeff actually made every effort to reconcile, only consulting his business dealings on the evenings while the days were spent getting to know his boys again. Scott had felt overwhelming joy at finally having his dad back, the responsibility lifted things began to normalise and the bond he’d built with his younger siblings didn’t lessen.  
  
But it was all too good to last. What should have been his parents’ twentieth wedding anniversary turned out to be the trigger that started another downward spiral for the family. This had been barely a month ago, days after he’d found out he was heading to Yale next fall. That realisation had snapped something into the eldest: if he was leaving his brothers he needed to be absolutely satisfied that they would be cared for by a loving and attentive father. But that realisation had come at the worst possible time. With the wedding anniversary came further heartache for their father, who began to withdraw himself, again – retreating back to his study. It felt to Scott like a punch in the gut, that they were heading back to square one. Consequently, he’d been very on edge lately, especially when it came to conversations with Dad. Heck, they’d had another shouting match earlier that afternoon after Scott had picked Virgil up from school. It hadn’t been fair on the kid. He blamed himself for this whole mess, for if he’d just walked away from Dad rather than round on him, he could have made things up with Virgil and the artist wouldn’t have had to sneak out the house. Granted that act was down to John, but the point still stood. He’d failed his brothers today, something that for a big brother was unforgivable.  
  
Glancing at Gordon and Alan in the rear-view, he could tell they were just as antsy as he was. Gordon caught his eye and frowned.  
  
“Why aren’t you going faster Scotty?” the redhead whined. “Virgil and John need us!”  
  
“I know, Fish, but we’ll get our job done _without_ causing an accident. I don’t think dad would appreciate speed tickets for me as well as himself, and we can’t do anything if we end up in hospital.”  
  
Scott winced as that comment grabbed Alan’s attention, tears in his bright blue eyes. “Who’s in hospital? I thought Johnny and Virgey were okay?”  
  
“No one, Sprout, don’t you worry. It’ll be all right, Dad will rescue them you’ll see. Look, we’re here.”  
  
Turning the steering wheel, the three were greeted by the sight of flashing blue and red sirens, as well as flashing lights from press cameras. Pulling the car hastily to a stop, Gordon already out of his seat and unbuckling Alan, Scott sped out and gathered the six year old in his arms, settling him against his hip as he locked the car and made his way over, Gords close at his side. Immediately, their presence wasn’t unnoticed by the press who instantly began hounding.  
  
“Scott Tracy, do you have confirmation you’re brothers are in there?”  
  
“What about your father?”  
  
“Does Jeff Tracy have any connections to the crooks?”  
  
Scott was disgusted at their blatant attitude and didn’t say anything as he was ushered inside the police cordon where he was met by Sherriff Winters. He shook his hand warmly after he’d placed Alan on his feet, who immediately sought Gordon’s hand.  
  
“Scott, good to see you again. Though I wish it was under better circumstances.”  
  
“Likewise, sir.”  
  
The Sherriff cocked an eyebrow, eyeing him and his brothers. “Does this coincidental appearance mean you know something I don’t?”  
  
Scott blushed at how blunt and easy he’d given that away. Still, it bypassed a few awkward questions and got straight to the point. “Yes, Virgil and John are both inside. Virgil called the house with explicit instructions for Dad to go alone to give them ten million dollars, that’s what they want. He’s headed in through the staff and maintenance entrance at the rear.”  
  
Winters sighed. “And he didn’t think to call ahead and giving us a heads up before charging in?”  
  
“He didn’t want to risk Virgil’s life. Whoever they are in there made it pretty clear that the money would be exchanged for the safe return of everyone in that Mall, as long as no authorities were in the know. But,” Scott smiled, “they were giving those demands to Dad not to us.”  
  
“What about John?” the Sherriff frowned.  
  
Scott looked away before kicking at the tyre of the nearest vehicle and throwing his hands in the air in frustration. “I don’t know! It was Virgil on the phone but there was no mention of John. But I bet whatever’s happened he’s sticking close to Virg.”  
  
“Okay,” he nodded. “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll inform the teams; this information changes our tactics.”  
  
As the round man walked off talking into his radio, Scott sank to the floor against a police car. Gordon and Alan joined him sitting either side; Gords rested his head on Scott’s shoulder whilst Alan huddled up to his chest. Now he had nothing else to do, Scott had never felt so helpless. There was a burning desire to join the SWAT teams and aid with the rescue of his father and brothers, and give whoever was causing all of this mess absolute hell. His family had suffered enough already, why did they have to go to this much trouble just to gain some cash?   
  
But feeling the tension and worry radiating out from his two youngest brothers beside him made his anger evaporate on the spot. Alan and Gordon needed him now more than John and Virg. The older two could handle themselves, Virgil had proved that today by standing up to that idiot of a bully. But Al and Gords needed him to be strong, needed his reassurance that everything was going to be all right.   
  
Placing an arm around each of their shoulders, he hugged them close as they sat in silence and waited.


	9. Recollections - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my birthday today, so uploads galore! #23andfree <3   
> Nope, still don't own Thunderbirds.

Chapter Nine  
Recollections – Part 2  
  


His mind was racing as he was led through the dimly lit maintenance tunnels towards the bank, desperately thinking over strategies. He wasn’t going to let these terrorists get what they wanted, not without a damn good fight. That went against his every instinct as a multimillionaire businessman. These men were criminals and no matter how well executed their plan was, he wasn’t going to give into them.  
  
But, as defiant as he was currently feeling, dread also lurked within as of course so far he _had_ given into them - offered himself up just as they’d asked without any third-party involvement. No police, no FBI, no not even a breath of a whisper to his lawyers. But a small sense of relief filled him as, after all, he _had_ outsmarted them there too, as they had no way of knowing that right at that very moment Scott was close behind, and ready to inform the swarms of authorities waiting outside the Mall entrance.   
  
He had outside help. And the ten million dollars meant nothing to him compared to the lives of two of his beloved boys. He’d do whatever it took to get them back, but boy was he going to make it hard for whoever these terrorists were. Jeff Tracy was the wrong man to cross.  
  
His thoughts turned again to John and Virgil. They were just children, too young to be stuck in the middle of something like this. Jeff didn’t even have the full story of what had happened that night, heck what about to Virgil during the day? When Scott had brought him home earlier he hadn’t even sat his middle child down and asked for his side of things, just snapped at him and sent him to his room where he’d assumed he’d stayed for the remainder of the night. But this proved otherwise.  
  
His heart sank. Virgil was being bullied at school? That was information Scott had hammered home just a few hours earlier. What could someone possibly have against any of his boys? Virg was a bit like John in the sense that he didn’t mind his own company and could spend hours and hours painting and sketching, or playing lengthy piano pieces. John would spend hours a night looking down his telescope or buried in a book. All of his boys showed talent at something from a very young age, even Alan who at just six was apparently following Gordon’s footsteps in the troublemaking department while at the same time showing intellect well above average for his age. Virgil was gifted in the musical and art departments much like Lucy.  
  
Lucy. Jeff missed her so, so much. She’d been his everything from the moment they’d met and she’d stuck with him. He’d been a simple farm boy until the Air Force, nothing special, no one knew him. While on leave in his sixth year, he’d met up with the lads and their families and Lucille was the close cousin of one member of his squadron, Captain Jeremy Harris. They’d got talking and dancing and he’d fallen head over heels in love with her. Within a year he’d left the Air Force and joined the NASA lunar mission, the two of them were married and Lucy was pregnant with their first child, Scott. Things had moved on pretty quickly and over the next ten years they’d had four more boys, they’d been such a happy family. After a few years of successes he eventually retired and turned to the business world – already a millionaire.  
  
Losing her had killed him. It was such a shock. So much death and partition of families happened often he knew, there was so much negative news reports about similar subjects these days. But never in a million years had he thought that it would happen to him, to his family, to his boys.  
  
He knew her loss had affected his children more than it should have done, as they’d practically lost two parents on that holiday. That was because he hadn’t been able to handle the shock of the loss and had selfishly neglected the five most precious things in his life, the five shining stars that were much more important than his work: his boys.  
  
Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan. Scotty was seventeen and joining the Air Force next fall, as well as studying part time at Yale University, John and Virgil were in grades eleven and nine respectively in high school, and Gordon was starting in seventh grade as a freshman next year, while Alan was in second grade in primary. Man they were growing up fast!  
  
He loved his boys with all of his heart, and he hated himself for his actions during the immediate aftermath of his wife’s death. His children had needed their father but he hadn’t been there for them. He’d unwillingly shouldered the paternal responsibilities onto his eldest son who had, for as long as he could handle, taken it with heart and without complaint. It had never been more obvious to Jeff just how much Scott loved and cared for his younger brothers until he’d been abruptly snapped from his bubble over a year after the tragic loss of Lucy.  
  
Being hit with the realisation he was putting his children’s futures at stake, that he was forcing a responsibility onto his eldest that shouldn’t be needed until years to come brought Jeff out of his daze. If he was completely honest, he’d lost track of time. His body had just been working on auto pilot. He wouldn’t be able to sleep properly at night so he’d find himself in his study in the early hours of the morning, carrying on with Tracy Enterprises business. Food didn’t mean anything to him, and neither had the world on the other side of the door.  
  
But he’d vowed to all of his boys, especially Scott who had broken down and poured his heart out that day after the school visit, that he would be the father they desperately needed. He’d taken it to heart too, always engaging Virgil in conversation about his latest art piece, taking Gordon to swimming practises and cheering him on and picking Alan up from school. He’d momentarily pushed his business to the side, allowing Katie, his secretary at the New York headquarters, to run things, but checking up in the evenings after he’d put his sons to bed.  
  
The last year or so had been pretty much perfect. He’d spent so much time with his boys, making sure they knew it was him they could come to if they had any problems, any fears. Scott took a little more convincing, the eldest refusing to give up a number of jobs he was accustomed to as he hadn’t fully  trusted his father. That had broken Jeff’s heart, as it really showed him just how much he’d missed, just how much he’d unknowingly put his children through. But over time, empty holes had begun to be sealed and joy and happiness returned to the household.  
  
He worried his bottom lip with his teeth. He knew full well he should have played things differently – that was his role as a father, as a dad to five children. And now things were heading downhill again, or so Scott seemed to think, Jeff knew otherwise and hoped that one day Scott and his brothers would forgive him. He didn’t expect it, but he couldn’t help but hope.  
  
Two months ago, marked a very special occasion. Well, two actually.   
It had been his and Lucy’s twentieth wedding anniversary on September 15th, and just two days before he’d received the official news from the company and his bank. All the shares and investments and profits from Tracy Enterprises had finally helped him to hit the status of billionaire.  
  
That realisation has spurred him into action, as he could finally make a start with his dream and hopefully if it were successful no one would have to suffer loss again. Surprisingly, the anniversary hadn’t hit him as hard as he’d thought it would. He knew that was down to Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan. Seeing a part of Lucy in all of them had made his heart swell and softened the blow significantly.  
  
But the downside to it was that he’d been so caught up in business meetings and vid-conferences with Hiram since, he’d accidentally allowed himself to drift - _again_. Well, he vowed to himself, now that would all stop. Tracy Enterprises was in full swing, with offices and establishments in countries across the globe and he had finally hit his target.   
  
A fresh start for his family.  
  
He was hoping for a personal meeting with Hiram Hackenbacker in the near future to go over the plans, finalise arrangements and oversee the final touches to construction of the island villa. Plus, Hiram’s son Fermat was about Alan’s age and if the two infants bonded it would be a promising start to an exciting future.  
  
Fighting to keep the grin off his face, he squinted and blinked as he and his two guards suddenly emerged into a bright light. They were now in the main stretch of the Mall. He felt the sense of dread from earlier return; it was now time to get down to business. It was time to rescue his boys.  
  
The bank was coming up on his right hand side, and as they came past the escalators he saw the sight for himself. Back in his days in the Air Force he’d dealt with hostage situations, but more often than not they’d been instigated by desperate men, and that it itself made them dangerous. Taking note of the disguised men holding the Mall hostage however, Jeff knew instantly they were military. The way each man held themselves; the same stance, their guns trained professionally onto the crowd, these terrorists knew exactly what they were doing.  
  
Despite the situation Jeff sagged slightly in relief. It meant nobody would be hurt as they had a definite plan in their minds. The shoppers and staff were there solely to be intimidated. He could see the shutters were down over the main entrance meaning they’d possibly had this planned for a while, planned to precision as they would have needed someone on the inside. That probably meant the CCTV was out of action too.  
  
“Ah, the billionaire himself. Nice of you to join us, Mr Tracy.”  
  
The voice brought him out of his thoughts and he locked eyes with another balaclava-clad man. It was the same voice he’d heard over the phone not half an hour earlier.  
  
Scanning the crowd for any sign of his boys as he was dragged past, his fear rose when he couldn’t find them. Not even John, but there was still every possibility the blonde hadn’t been detected. Therefore he opted to leave his second eldest out of the equation for now.  
  
“Where is my son? What have you done with Virgil?” he all but growled at the man. He was threatening and intimidating in every aspect, but Jeff was in no mood to be scared. And it had nothing to do with the bright blue eyes visible on the leader’s face.  
  
The leader laughed mockingly in response. “Wow, it seems Jefferson Tracy doesn’t know how many sons he has!”  
  
Jeff’s heart sank at that. That meant John had indeed been detected, and probably meant that wherever Virgil was being held that John was also. If Jeff was here to give them money he had no doubt John and Virgil were being used as guarantee. That meant they were probably locked somewhere in the bank right now.  
  
“It was Virgil who spoke to me but I wasn’t sure about John until now,” he admitted, defiance burning in his eyes. “Leave my sons out of this.”  
  
“Oh don’t worry,” the terrorist replied casually. “They won’t come to any harm as long as you cooperate, and neither will anybody else here.”  
  
“If you hurt either of them I swear-” Jeff argued through gritted teeth, but he was cut off.  
  
“Ah-ah-ah. Violence will get you nowhere, Tracy. Now let’s get on with it.” He barked before raising a walkie-talkie to his mouth. “Red, we’re coming in. Keep the boys out of sight.”  
  
 _“Copy that, Eagle.”_  
  
Catching Jeff’s puzzling gaze, Eagle smirked before holding up the handheld radio. “These babies can’t be traced. All recent technologies have GPS and all sorts as standard components. Even signals from earpieces can be picked up but the original model is flawless. As much as I love the advanced technology our world bathes in, sometimes it’s also good to keep the old fashioned stuff as you never know when it’ll come in handy.”  
  
Jeff inwardly smirked also as he was escorted inside the bank, as ‘Eagle’ and his buddies had no idea what was currently going on outside. He just hoped something could be done before anything got out of hand inside. Right now, it was up to him to assure that and get John and Virgil out unharmed.  
  
If International Rescue really was going to become a reality, why not start now?


	10. Flies on the Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my birthday today, so uploads galore! #23andfree <3  
> Nope, still don't own Thunderbirds.

Chapter Ten  
Flies on the Wall

 Back in Jane Parker’s office, Virgil was feeling surprisingly relaxed given the events of the day. So far he’d been chased, threatened and almost pushed down a flight of stairs, he’d been grounded by Scott and then surprisingly helped out by John, caught up in a terrorist siege and held at gun point while forced to give his father ransom money demands, and if that wasn’t enough he was now locked in an inescapable room while the terrorists gave his father hell and he could do nothing about it.  
  
But he wasn’t alone, and that was the reason why he felt so calm.  
  
He was sat with his back against one door of the metal cupboard, knees drawn up to his chest, conversing quietly with his best friend who for now was stuck inside while John was sat on a chair in front of the desk. When Dan had revealed himself to them John had decided it wasn’t safe to find a way to get him out just yet, not with the blind up on the window meaning their guards outside could see everything they did. There was every risk Dan would be removed from the room if he was seen. So instead, Virgil had merely sagged against the cupboard so he could talk to Dan but had his eyes fixed on John so if anyone looked in, it would look like the two brothers were just talking.  
  
After telling Dan what they’d been through so far that night, Dan updated them on his side of things, how he’d come without Virgil anyway out of sheer boredom. Virgil didn’t mind, after all it was his fault that they hadn’t been together from the start. That, and he was sure if he was in Dan’s shoes he’d have done the same thing. Virgil had four other siblings to help keep him occupied at home whereas Dan only had his nineteen year old brother Joey. It just troubled him that it now meant his friend was also in the same precarious situation. If they’d come together, they’d have come straight after school and would have left long before nine when this whole thing had begun; they’d be safe.  
  
 _But no. Because I was such an idiot and got myself grounded I’ve put both my brother and my best friend in danger! Not to mention put pressure on dad, look at what he has to deal with now! Good going, Virg. If you’d just kept your feet on the floor in art this morning none of this would be happening! Or even better actually, if Gary **had** pushed me down the stairs at least I’d have been out of the way and we wouldn’t be here. Why, oh why did I have to fight back?!  
  
_ Anger at himself welled up, and then dissipated when he caught John looking worriedly at him. Virgil shook his head and gave a half smile, silently telling his older brother he was okay. John was the reason he’d fought back, Steelton had insulted him - and Scott - and Virgil wasn’t having any of it. He loved his brothers and it was instinct to protect them as much as it was their instinct to protect him. John had given himself up earlier without any thought to his own safety just because he hadn’t wanted Virgil to be alone in this ordeal.  
  
His thoughts turned to Scott, Gordon and Alan. Were they outside right now like John thought? He hoped Scott wasn’t beating himself up too much – Virgil knew his eldest brother would put the blame solely on his own shoulders probably even more than the artist right now blamed himself. It was just in Scott’s programming as a big brother.  
  
Virgil’s gaze snapped to the door as he saw a figure approaching out of the corner of his eye. It was one of the henchmen who had brought him here earlier, known as Red. Both brothers watched as he made a sweeping glance of the room to assure the brothers were sealed in before reaching up and tugging on the string of the blind, sneering gleefully as the dark material was lowered over the window.  
  
“Dad’s here,” John muttered, standing up and hurrying around the desk until he was sat in front of the computer, his fingers operating the mouse to bring the screen back from its slumber.  
  
Virgil scrambled up from the floor and hurried over. “What are you doing?”  
  
“Getting us out of here…maybe. Search these desk drawers for a set of keys. I’m pretty sure Dan would like to get out of there, don’t you?” he replied, nodding his head in the direction of the cupboard.  
  
Virgil nodded, before going back over to the cabinet and speaking in a low voice – he didn’t want to risk shouting should somebody hear and they all be caught out. “Dan, I’m just finding the keys alright?”  
  
“Won’t Mom have kept them with her?” came the reply.  
  
The artist couldn’t hide a smile. “No, she’s on our side. She told me you were here, so she must have left them somewhere. Lucky that; she said she didn’t know we were here until she saw us.”  
  
“Virgil, keys!” John cut in pointedly, eyes fixed on the screen. There was a slight frown of concentration on his face as his fingers fumbled over a few buttons on the keyboard.  
  
“Right sorry.” Virgil scurried back over and began to hastily search the drawers for a sign of a ring of metal. In most there was nothing but office equipment, stationery, staples, paperclips and more files. But in the bottom underneath what was presumably scrap paper was a keychain and a set of three slightly different keys, all unmarked. As quick and quiet as he could, Virgil tested the lock. The second key fit and the cupboard opened.  
  
Dan let out a low groan, half in relief and half in pain as he clambered out and stretched his legs, rotating his limbs and wincing as some of them clicked, causing Virgil to grimace in sympathy. His friend had been in there for while.  
  
“What time is it by the way?” he asked, stretching his arms over his head. “Feels like I was in there for hours.”  
  
Virgil shook his head. “No idea, our cell phones are still in John’s coat back at the cafe.”  
  
“Dan, do you know your mom’s password?” John asked and the two ninth graders went over to stand behind the blonde, looking over his shoulders at the screen. The username was filled in already with ‘JParker’, obviously remembered as the frequent user of the machine, but the password bar was blank.  
  
“Try ‘ **EdwarddanielMathers** ’ – capitals E and M, no spaces. It’s our home computer password – gramps was always Mom’s favourite.”  
  
“How come you couldn’t crack it Johnny?” Virgil frowned, as his brother typed. John was an absolute whizz with technology and could usually hack into any password-protected device in seconds – he’d done it to Scott’s laptop to prove it once.  
  
“I don’t want to risk locking us out. These bank systems are known for their tighter-than-tight security and I don’t reckon even _I_ could get past the initial firewalls without it setting something off, even if they have disabled the alarms. Much safer to have the password as free entrance to satisfy the system, and then work some magic. Right, I’m in.”  
  
“Tighter-than-tight?” Dan repeated incredulously. “I think I need to persuade Mom to get some improvements done!”  
  
“It’s lucky you were here,” Virgil said back, his gaze returning to the screen. Only to do a double take as it was now filled with four different squares of CCTV footage. He gave out a whistle of appreciation, exceedingly glad that John was with them. “Wow Johnny when you’re good, you’re brilliant.”  
  
“Thanks. Now I bet you there’s a person up in the security room right now ensuring everything’s clear for these goons – I’m guessing that’s how this whole thing was staged, they’ve had people on the inside for weeks, maybe months. But I’m smart. I know what to expect and so can steer around those walls so only _we_ can see what’s happening from this monitor and we’ll be undetected by the security room. There’s no camera in here, I’ve already scanned the room. Those idiots outside really didn’t do their homework very well. Ah, there he is!”  
  
Virgil watched as the screen played the footage. It was live, as the time in the top left hand corner matched the time on the bottom right of the screen; it was nearly eleven. Had they really been here that long? Virgil had lost complete track of the time through the events of the night.  
  
There was the guilty feeling back in his stomach as he watched his father on the screen. He was being held between two guards while a third, Virgil recognised Bane the leader, was apparently talking to him – no doubt repeating the demands Virgil had given over the phone earlier. The room was larger than the one the three boys were currently in, but with a desk and computer being the similar furniture. What seemed to be the reason they were in there was the floor-to-ceiling metallic door at the end. That was the safe, Virgil deduced. Even through the slightly grainy quality of the footage, the artist could tell it was securely protected - passcode, retina and fingerprint scanner that sort of thing. There was no sound though, and Virgil turned to give his brother a nudge but John was already typing furiously and sure enough the sound kicked in a split second later.  
  
 _“-you want to get your precious boys back Tracy, you better get moving.”  
  
_ _“I’ll get you what you want. Just please, don’t hurt them.”  
  
_ Bane nodded at the two guards who then released their grip. Dad moved immediately, heading for the monitor.  
  
 _“What are you doing?”_ Bane barked. _“Open the safe!”  
  
_ _“You won’t get ten million dollars out of there. It’ll have to be pulled from my business accounts and then transferred – most of my money is wrapped up in shares, you won’t get cash. This may take a while.”  
  
_ “He’s playing them,” John muttered. “Scott’s definitely outside. If Dad doesn’t get to us soon then Scotty will.”  
  
Virgil didn’t have time to marvel at his brother’s intuition, however, as Bane slammed his fist onto the desk. Somehow their father did not flinch.  
  
 _“Hurry it up then, Tracy! We don’t have all night.”  
  
_ Virgil didn’t like the shivers that shot down his spine; things were getting dangerous. Bane was getting increasingly frustrated, and that could end very badly. He silently urged on his eldest brother and the authorities outside. From what John had said, his brother believed the police were planning a raid to get everyone out, and their dad was currently stalling for time. These terrorists were not getting any money; they were going to be caught by surprise. And Jeff Tracy was giving nothing away to his current captors.  
  
The prickly feeling of dread intensified when Bane suddenly spun around to the two henchmen. _“Bring me the younger kid. Virgil.”_  
  
“NO!” John and Jeff cried simultaneously.


	11. Incentives

Chapter Eleven  
Incentives

Scott could vividly remember the near-week in the Valais hospital spent sitting in one of the younger two’s beds, big brothers comforting the younger in the absence of both parents. Dad had had to sort out paperwork and press interviews as well as arranging transport back home – Mom included.  
  
Losing her had hurt in a way that was so difficult to explain. It wasn’t physical pain, like pulling a muscle after too much running, or the occasional bad combat training session in the Air Cadets where he’d get his ass kicked. It was just a constant empty presence in his head, in his chest and heart, reminding him that someone important was no longer there.  
  
But he’d buried all of his own suffering and grief, bravely putting on a mask to comfort and soothe his brothers who desperately needed him. He needed to be their rock, the person they looked to for strength and reassurance. What good would it do them if they saw him break?  
  
So he and John had taken turns sitting with Alan and Gordon in their private room on the Paediatric ward. Whether it was to sit on the chairs beside them during the day to tell stories, cuddle them when they cried or to help a reluctant Alan with a colouring book before he’d give up and then ask to watch cartoons, they were always there.  
  
Virgil did have his own bed on the opposite side of the room, but with his only injury being a now reset left shoulder in a sling he was freer to move around. Alan wasn’t allowed out of bed. Being only three and having suffered from mild hypothermia he had an IV line in his arm replacing fluids, and had to drink either warm milk or hot chocolate at intervals throughout the day, helping to keep his body temperature up and stable. Gordon was also stuck in bed, the eight-year-old unable to do much with his right leg in a cast.  
  
Every night, Scott and John ended up on the beds with them for the night, guarding their brothers from night terrors even if the nurses administered sedatives to help. It was for the peace of mind of the elder two as well as for the comfort of the youngest two. Scott didn’t want to let them out of his sight for fear of losing them. Granted that was irrational as they were in a hospital of all places, but the terror of not knowing whether Virgil, Alan and Gordon were alive when they’d gotten to the place where their lodge should have been, refused to leave him.  
  
After three days, the doctors tried to get Gordon to break in the crutches to relieve weight off his badly fractured leg so he could become more mobile, and enable him to get around when they got home. The doctors had wanted Gordon up in the rehab ward but Scott refused, wanting them to be altogether. That night Gordy had cried himself to sleep cuddled up to Scott on the bed, exhausted and just wanting to go home. Sensing his immediate older brother’s distress, Alan – now off the drip - had scrambled out of his own bed despite protests and into Gordon’s, insisting he’d be just as warm sleeping with two of his brothers. Scott carefully moved Gordon’s propped-up-on-a-pillow leg to the right so he could then itch up and let his youngest brother on. Alan leaned carefully over Scott and rested a hand on Gordon’s head.  
  
“Sleep, Gordy. We be okay,” he whispered with an innocent smile, making Scott’s heart soar. Gordon instantly calmed down, his breathing evening out as Scott stroked a hand through his hair. Alan on his left smiled up at him and wished him goodnight before closing his eyes. Scott too slept peacefully that night.  
  
And now he sat echoing the same position on the cold, hard tarmac of the road outside the Blue Hills shopping Mall. The same feelings of terror and helplessness threatening to overwhelm him as he realised there’d still been no move to get John and Virgil out of the building. Looking down at his watch he saw it was quarter past eleven - had they seriously been out here for that long and nothing had been done? Virg and Johnny had been in there for at least three hours now.  
  
His anger calmed a little however as he looked up and saw Sheriff Winters approaching. The look on his face told Scott there was finally a plan.  
  
“What’s going on?” the teen asked, slowly getting to his feet. Alan had fallen asleep not long ago after one of the waiting paramedics had given him some hot chocolate, and Scott carefully picked him up off the floor and into his arms. Gordon stood beside him.  
  
“We’re ready to make a move. Come with me and I’ll explain in more detail.”  
  
Scott followed, making sure Alan’s head was in a comfortable position on his shoulder. Ahead there was a team of police crowded around the Sheriff’s car bonnet, they appeared to be studying a piece of paper and as Scott got closer he saw it was a map of the building.  
  
“Alright, listen up!” Sheriff Winters explained, pointing at a point on the map. “We got thirty of our best men ready at the rear staff and maintenance entrance over here. Tracy’s car is there so we know he’s also inside. Two vans supposedly there for a getaway have been seized and searched and in the event of any of these terrorists escaping they have nowhere to run – roadblocks have been stationed on a 200m radius, and again 100m from that. We don’t know the precise situation in there but to the best of our calculations Tracy and his two sons will be separated from the main crowd if money is what they’re after. Now out here,” he said, pointing at the other end of the map. “The rest of you will stay and guard the entrance. These guys have control within and these shutters could come up at any time. Our mission is to get everyone in that Mall out alive. Surprise is on our side, now let’s go!”  
  
As the team disbanded, Sheriff Winters turned to Scott and put a hand on his shoulder that wasn’t occupied by his youngest brother.  
  
“You stay out here, Scott, where I know you’re safe, got me?”  
  
Scott nodded. “Yes, sir.”  
  
“Good man,” he said, before turning and running off shouting into his radio. “All teams forward. Go, go, go!”  
  
As the seventeen year old watched them go Alan stirred, blue eyes blinking sleepily at him.  
  
“Hey, Sprout, you okay?”  
  
The six-year-old shook his head before resting it on Scott’s shoulder again. “Cold. Want daddy, Virgey and Johnny.”  
  
Scott opened the rear door of the Sheriff’s car and sat Alan inside, giving his youngest brother a reassuring smile. “You stay in here and keep warm. They’ll have John and Virg out in no time, you’ll see.”  
  
Standing back up, a cold prickling sensation sped down his spine. His head snapped towards the Mall as if hoping his intense gaze would somehow allow him to see through the walls and what was going on.  
  
Something was wrong.  
  
Scott knew he needed to move. Closing the door and turning away from the car he bent down slightly to Gordon’s height, his hands on both of his younger brother’s upper arms.  
  
“Gordon, I need you to look after Alan. Can you do that for me?”  
  
The redhead nodded seriously. “Where are you going?”  
  
“To get our brothers back. You stay in the car with Alan and don’t move until we come back to get you, okay?”  
  
“Okay, Scott.”  
  
“Okay,” Scott nodded, as he opened the car door again to let Gordon in. Shutting it after him he took off at a run towards the rear entrance of the building.

* * *

 

_“Bring me the younger kid, Virgil.”  
  
_ “NO!” John and Jeff cried simultaneously.  
  
John sprang into action, quickly locking the computer and jumping up from his seat. Virgil didn’t move however, just stood gazing at where his father’s image had been a split second before. He snapped out of his daze though when he recognised John stood in front of him, hands on Virgil’s upper arms.  
  
“I won’t let them take you,” John said firmly. “Dan, you’re going to have to get back in that cupboard, and quick!”  
  
As the pair of them moved frantically around him, Virgil could only let his mouth open and close with no words coming out. Slowly turning around, he saw John hurriedly locking the cupboard before running back over to the desk and depositing the keys on the floor next to the chair. He then started to tug at Virgil’s arm, trying to make him move. Virgil’s legs finally responded as his mind cleared. He sat down heavily on one of the chairs in front of the desk and looked at his brother. John was giving him a worried look.  
  
But Virgil knew he had nothing to be afraid of, it was okay.  
  
“It’s alright, John, I’ll be with Dad.”  
  
John nodded sharply, a determined look on his face. “I know, Virg. Remember, Scotty’s coming too.”  
  
That moment the door was unlocked and the two terrorists who’d held their father barged into the room, making straight for them. There was no need for Virgil to feign surprise as he was promptly picked up and thrown over the shoulder of one of them in a fireman’s lift act while the other one held a struggling John back.  
  
“Leave my brother alone!” John yelled, but the Assassin holding him had his arms effortlessly around the blonde’s middle, preventing him from doing anything. As Virgil was carried out the door the pair of them made eye contact and the silent words ‘ _I’ll be fine, see you soon’_ were exchanged.  
  
Keeping up the appearance that they’d been taken by surprise, Virgil shouted, “JOHN!”  
  
“VIRGIL!” came the reply.  
  
From his slightly awkward position on the back of the man carrying him, the artist just about saw John getting shoved into the wall next to the cupboard where Dan was hiding before the other man came out and the door was shut and locked. He sneered gleefully at Virgil as there were a few bangs from within – John still acting out his part of being left alone. Virgil scowled back before being placed back on the ground and shoved forward. John and Dan would be fine, they had the keys in there with them after all and Virgil hoped one of them would unlock that door and enable them both to get to safety. He’d noticed the door was now unguarded, meaning that if John too had managed to see that then he’d already be formulating an escape plan.  
  
After a short walk they stopped briefly outside a door before the Assassin who’d carried Virgil opened it and he was shoved inside. He recognised the room from the CCTV, with the large safe at the end to his right and to his left still sat at the monitor was his father.  
  
“You all right Virgil?” he asked immediately, not moving from his position. The teen guessed he’d been told to stay exactly were he sat before his arrival. A sense of relief filled him as he took in the calm and reassurance radiating from his father, one that made any fears evaporate on the spot. After all, his dad knew too that outside forces were currently in motion.  
  
“Yeah,” Virgil said a little breathlessly, nodding.  
  
“Touching,” the sarcastic voice of Bane said from the other end of the room. He was apparently examining the security seals on the safe. “Virgil Tracy, living up to the Tracy name, brave and unflappable in the face of danger. You may say you’re all right but are you _really_?” With that he turned and rushed at Virgil until he was standing directly in front of him, towering over him but the teen refused to be intimidated. Then without warning Bane seized him, arm around his neck as he was turned to face his dad, feeling the unmistakable cold metallic barrel of a gun pressed hard into the side of his head.  
  
Dad was on his feet instantly, anger blazing in his eyes.  
  
“One more move, Tracy, and your son’s brains will be decorating the walls,” Bane warned and Jeff sat back down. “Keep on with your task and hurry it up!”  
  
Virgil’s heart was in his mouth, beating frantically.  
  
“I can feel that Virgil, your elevated pulse. Not so okay now, are you?” he taunted.  
  
But Virgil wasn’t about to give in that easily. He had to show his father that he wasn’t afraid, even if Bane was taunting him.  
  
“Why are you doing this?” he questioned bravely.  
  
“Why?” Bane repeated in a smug tone, lowering his head so he was level with Virgil’s head and talking in his ear. “Why not?” 

 


	12. One-Way Communication

**** Chapter Twelve  
One-Way Communication  


 

John hit the wall hard and sank to the floor, slightly dazed and gasping for breath. But as soon as the sound of the door slamming registered in his head the stargazer was back on his feet. Colliding noisily with the door he thumped against it several times, half in utter frustration at himself for actually letting his brother go, half to make their act of surprise look even more convincing.  
  
His head was on fire but he ignored it, taking a few deep breaths, closing his eyes and leaning forward so his forehead was resting against the wood. He felt fine otherwise; he’d just have a nasty egg of a lump later. Besides, he had more important things to worry about.  
  
Darting straight back over to the chair behind the desk to retrieve the keys, he hurried to the cupboard and let Dan out again.  
  
“You alright?” Virgil’s friend asked tentatively. “That was one knock your head had with the wall, I heard it from inside there!”  
  
John nodded, heading back over to the computer. “Yeah I’ll be fine. Sorry for shoving you back in there like that, but we needed to keep you hidden. I don’t know what they would have done if they’d seen you, but it would have scuppered our escape chances for sure.”  
  
“Hmm, tell me about it. That was quick thinking on your part though, so thanks.”  
  
“Don’t mention it,” John replied, re-entering the password to access the CCTV feeds again. He wanted to be absolutely sure Virgil was safely with their dad before doing anything else. Plus, he also needed to be sure he and Dan were in the clear to get out of there. There’d been two goons guarding them earlier but John hadn’t seen them just then, though that may have been down to his narrow viewpoint available through the doorway. He figured if they weren’t out there, they might have disappeared as soon as the blind was lowered on the window, which in itself meant they’d been unguarded for the whole time they’d been watching the CCTV.  
  
John could have gotten Virgil out before he was taken.  
  
That being if one of the keys they had worked for the door, and of that John was ninety-nine per cent sure about. There were three keys on that ring. If one unlocked the metal cupboard, one probably unlocked the filing cabinet, which left the third one for the door. His mind had processed that in the split second it had taken him to place the keys on the floor out of sight two minutes earlier.  
  
But his thoughts were cut short as the security footage came back on the screen and what he saw made his hands clench into fists. The leader had one arm around Virgil’s neck, the other pressing a gun to the side of his head, left handed the blonde noted. He heard Dan curse beside him and John realised Virgil’s friend had missed all the action that had occurred so far that night, including Virgil having had the gun pointed at his head twice already, as he’d been stuck in here since the whole thing began. This was the first time he was seeing the reality of the situation.  
  
 _“I can feel that Virgil, your elevated pulse. Not so okay now are you?”  
  
_ John saw his father sat calmly at the monitor but there was no mistaking the look on his face; he was shooting daggers at the man holding his middle son.  
  
 _“Why are you doing this?”_ Virgil asked loudly, sending a wave of pride through the second eldest. His brother was fighting tooth and nail to not appear intimidated and give this terrorist what he desired – even if his heart rate was giving him away. But John couldn’t help but think that if their positions were reversed he would have reacted in the exact same way. How many teenagers he knew of had been used as a bargaining chip at gunpoint in front of their only parent?  
  
 _“Why?”_ Bane repeated in a smug tone, lowering his head so he was level with Virgil’s head and talking in his ear. _“Why not?”  
  
_ _“That’s not good enough!”_ the artist bit back through gritted teeth, hands on the arm around his neck in an attempt to lessen the pressure on his windpipe a little _. “You must need the money for something – what exactly will ten million dollars get you?”  
  
_ _“Ha, well, if this is how you’re gonna behave, Tracy Junior, I guess I’d better silence you while I have the chance. You’re just a goddamn nuisance.”  
  
_ The safety was taken off the gun with an audible _click_ and John swallowed _.  
  
_ _“Lay another hand on my son and I swear you will never see the light of day again!”_ Dad warned dangerously, on his feet once more despite all earlier threats.  
  
Several things happened at once, so fast John cried out, as the picture seemed to blur in front of his eyes. The gun whistled as it was whipped from the side of Virgil’s head to be instead focussed on the Tracy patriarch. In the same split second a loud static sound erupted into the air followed by the distinct echo of a voice, coming from the commander’s walkie-talkie attached to his belt. Said terrorist swore and Virgil was released from his grip with a shove, hitting the ground and rolling along the floor a few feet.  
  
 _Bang!  
  
_ The gun was fired. Dad dived, voices shouted. The door slammed and then…silence.  
  
Silence as deafening as the gunshot.  
  
John let out the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, relief flooding him as he saw his father move. There was a noticeable black dot on the back wall where the bullet had landed, forced off course a good few feet in the terrorist’s hurry to move.  
  
 _“Virgil, are you okay?”_ Dad asked anxiously, hurrying over to where Virg lay on his stomach in the middle of the room, seemingly in shock. His eyes were wide, staring at where dad had been standing seconds before, panting heavily. As John watched, Jeff knelt down slowly in front of him, gently cupping Virgil’s face in his hands and waiting until scared brown eyes met calm, ocean-blue ones. Upon registering his father’s presence Virgil scrambled to his knees and threw his arms around the man’s neck, his shoulders shaking with uncontrollable emotions.  
  
 _“Hey, sh. It’s alright, Virg, I’m here. You’re safe.”  
  
_ Feeling like he was intruding on a private moment, John switched the feed in the hope of locating where the leader had run off to in such a hurry. Now he came to think of it, that voice from the walkie-talkie hadn’t even been in English.  
  
There was a heavy sigh next to him and John looked up to see Dan breathing deeply through his nose. The knuckles of his hands were white from the iron grip he had on the edge of the desk, his face was between his arms like a diving position he’d often seen Gordon in before the start of a race. He’d almost forgotten the kid was in here with him. As the fourteen-year-old visibly calmed down and straightened up, John clapped him softly on the back.  
  
“That was way too close for my liking. Did you see the bullet hole in the wall?” Dan asked incredulously pointing at the screen. “That son of a bitch only just missed your dad!”  
  
John was typing furiously again, flicking through the different offices and corridors in the bank attempting to find what he was looking for. On the fifth go he was successful. In the main room, the entrance from the main stretch of the mall, the commander was in the centre talking heatedly with another man.  
  
It was not English they were speaking, but to John, who was practically fluent in five other languages and currently taking Advanced Placements in two, recognised the Italian tongue instantly. Grabbing a piece of paper from one of the drawers in the desk and a pen from the pot next to the keyboard, John began scribbling.  
  
 _“I was so close right then, what did you go and do that for? Idiot!”  
  
_ _“Eagle, Birch and Lizard say get rid of that crowd outside as they are no longer any use to us - we have three Tracys! Let them go but use a Tracy as bait to make the cops out there back off. We've been in here too long, we need to get a move on and get out of here if we stand a chance of escaping with the money.”  
  
_ _“If you hadn't noticed, I was using the kid to get Tracy to hurry it up. Remember, using Tracy wasn’t part of the initial plan! When we get out of here I am going to kill our sources for not doing their research like I asked. We planned for tonight and we should have known every detail of this place. Especially something as important as needing Tracy to access the fucking money! If we’d have known we could have played this whole thing out completely differently.”  
  
_ _“Sounds like there’s a traitor.”  
  
_ _“We’ll worry about that later. Right now, we give the all clear to open the shutters. But first I want to make sure every single exit is guarded. You see anyone that is not one of ours you shoot, got it?”  
  
_ _“Who are you going to use as bait? Tracy?”  
  
_ _“No. He and his kid are together; we’ll leave them alone for now. I’ll use the older one, the blond.”_  
  
John’s stomach dropped. Locking the computer again he leant back, puffing out his cheeks and running a hand through his hair.  
  
“What did they say?” Dan asked, looking at him expectantly.  
  
“They’re coming for me,” he replied calmly. “I’m not going to lock you in that cupboard again so you stay down here on the floor and pray they don’t see you. Keep a tight hold on the keys, you might need them later if I don’t come back, though they might not bother locking it if they think there’s no one else in here. I shouldn’t be gone for long, okay?”  
  
Dan immediately followed the instructions and John went and sat against the wall where he’d been thrown earlier, hoping he looked as distressed as he felt. He didn’t want to leave Dan alone; there was now an even bigger chance of him getting caught. This latest predicament meant all three of them would now be separated and who knew how things would end? Would they all find each other when this was all over?  
  
Shaking his head, he berated himself for thinking that way. Virgil was now with dad and much safer than he’d been stuck with John as he knew his father would do anything to keep Virgil from being harmed. If Dan kept himself hidden there was a chance he’d remain undiscovered, and if John played along with what was about to happen, he’d ensure the people in the Mall were sent to safety as well. Then there was still Scott, always coming to the rescue whenever he was needed.  
  
So despite the deeper twists and turns in the maze their night was currently taking, John was confident they were now closer than ever to getting out of there.


	13. Between Father and Son

Chapter Thirteen  
Between Father and Son

The slamming of the door echoed around the room as Virgil lay on the floor, propped up slightly on his forearms. His heart was hammering in his mouth as he stared transfixed at the now empty space, his brain attempting to process what had just happened.  
  
Bane had just shot at his dad.  
  
Shot…Gun...Holy crap, where was he?  
  
Suddenly there was a slight sound of rapidly shuffling limbs. A shadow fell across him. Virgil couldn’t make his eyes move for the life of him. He was trapped. Dad was gone and he was all alone. His breathing quickened as his heart thumped, not wanting to see the new threat now upon him.  
  
“Virgil, are you okay?”  
  
His ears and brain registered the gentle, familiar loving voice but his eyes still refused to move. Taking a few deep breaths to prevent himself hyperventilating, his brown orbs snapped to the figure now knelt in front of him.  
  
 _Dad_ was not a threat.  
He was okay. No injuries, no blood, and no apparent pain.  
Dad was okay…  
  
He clumsily rushed to his knees, throwing his arms around his father’s neck in an embrace so tight it was like his life depended on it. And before he could stop them, his eyes welled up with tears, shoulders trembling as he sobbed into his dad’s shoulder. He knew their situation wasn’t entirely over yet, but being back in his father’s arms meant everything he’d bottled up throughout the evening so far, came tumbling out in one great sweep.  
  
“Hey, shh. It’s alright, Virg, I’m here. You’re safe,” Dad whispered.  
  
They stayed like that for a few minutes before the artist felt his breathing finally calm and the tears subside. Drawing back from his father and getting back to his feet he roughly wiped his jacket sleeve over his face, claiming back his composure.  
  
Following suit and standing up, Dad looked him up and down, a loving and apologetic expression on his face. Catching Virgil’s eyes and giving a small smile he stepped forward and embraced the teen again, one hand on the back of his head and resting his chin on his chestnut coloured hair. Virgil hugged him back tightly, letting his father’s warmth calm all of his fears, sending them far away much like a rocket into the far reaches of space.  
  
“I’m so sorry, Virgil. I should never have snapped at you earlier. It’s my fault you and John are in this mess and I’m sorry.”  
  
Virgil found himself smiling. His dad of course knew nothing about Dan, didn’t know that John wasn’t currently on his own and seemingly helpless. Didn’t know that they had an escape route thanks to Jane Parker’s quick thinking.  
  
“It’s okay,” Virgil replied, nodding. “We’ll find a way out of this. You’re not going to give them what they want, right?”  
  
If his dad wondered why he was so calm and collected all of a sudden he didn’t say anything, just ran his eyes over Virgil’s face, making Virgil feel like he was a painting being analysed by a critic. It was same look Scott gave him when he was figuring out if Virgil was hiding anything, usually emotional if it had been a rough day but occasionally it would be to find out if he was helping Gordon hide one of his Air Cadet boots so he couldn’t go.  
  
“I’ll give them anything they want if it means they don’t hurt you.”  
  
The same words his father had said to Bane earlier when they were watching the CCTV; Virgil just nodded. He couldn’t exactly tell dad what they’d been up to after all. Well of course he could, but he knew there was a camera in here and he didn’t want to risk his brother and friend more harm.  
  
John had said there was someone up in the security room monitoring the feeds and ensuring Bane and his Assassins were clear in whatever action they took. If that was true, it meant they could also see what was going on in here, right now.  
  
He contemplated telling his father everything that had happened, and by everything he meant the entire truth - Dan in the cupboard and John hacking into the CCTV meaning they were clued in. But if there was anybody watching, Virgil couldn’t take the chance in case something happened to them both. Whereas where they currently were, back in Jane’s office, they were safe with the opportunity to escape when the time was right. Ratting them out would destroy that chance.  
  
He also thought about turning to face the door and openly addressing the camera. He knew his brother too well to think he would just leave without first checking if he was actually with their dad. But again, that would be even more dangerous.  
  
Should he, then, slip some kind of coded message into a conversation for John to understand? He immediately shook his head at that thought. He was nowhere _near_ clever enough for that, plus, what would he even say? _“I’m alright now, get your ass out of there?”_ That was pretty obvious if they were watching… But he couldn’t just stay in here and do nothing!  
  
“So, do you care to tell me what happened tonight?” Dad asked. His tone wasn’t harsh and demanding, as it had been earlier back at home, it was soft and concerned. He genuinely wanted to know how Virgil came to be standing in front of him, and Virgil knew he owed a bit of an explanation. How, when he had been grounded, had he gotten John of all people to sneak him out of the house and over to the Mall? So, unable to meet his father’s eyes, the artist explained everything with a slight change to accommodate the cover up – that being no Dan in the cupboard and no explicitly mentioned computer access.  
  
“We just sat talking and the next thing I knew I’m being picked up and thrown over this guy’s shoulder and then dumped in here. John got shoved against the wall so he couldn’t fight back, I hope he’s alright.”  
  
“Sounds like you boys have been through a lot. But I’m proud of the pair of you for staying strong. I bet not many people your age could go through such an ordeal and keep so calm.”  
  
Virgil felt his cheeks burn a little, and flashed a small smile at the praise. In all honesty he thought that if it hadn’t been for the incident with Gary Steelton earlier - standing up for himself, for his brothers - he might not have been so calm and brave tonight.  
  
“Did you ever deal with anything like this in the Air Force?” he asked carefully. He wasn’t entirely sure whether his father would even answer that, but Virgil wanted confirmation that his dad wasn’t going to give up.  
  
Dad contemplated the question for a moment before running a hand over his face. “There were a few hostage situations I dealt with while on the ground, yes. But my role then was different. Here, we’re hostages and not the rescuers. This is new for me.”  
  
“We’ll be fine. I know it,” Virgil replied confidently.  
  
“Shouldn’t _I_ be reassuring _you_?” he chuckled, and Virgil just shrugged. He then saw his father’s face cloud over a little, a sad, remorseful look playing on his features.  
  
“You weren’t fine earlier,” he said quietly. “When Scott brought you home I should have sent him out the room and talked to you, but I didn’t and for that I am sorry.”  
  
A split second silence rang in Virgil’s ears before he carried on.  
  
“He told me you were having trouble at school, some boy named Gary Steelton? Is that right?”  
  
Virgil’s cheeks burned again and he looked at the floor, almost wishing it could swallow him up. He didn’t want to talk about this, not now.  
  
In the few seconds it took him to look up, Dad had walked over to him, bending down slightly so he was at Virgil’s height. And then his mouth was moving, running and so his words came out in a distorted ramble.  
  
“I tripped up in art class and threw my tray of paints into him – he just happened to be walking past me it wasn’t intentional! Then at lunchtime later on he saw me and started chasing me. He insulted Scott and John so I hit him, he threatened me but when I moved I pushed him and he fell down the stairs.”  
  
He bit his lip, not believing he’d just admitted that. He usually wasn’t one for lying or troublemaking but in his eyes that incident had sparked everything.  
  
Dad didn’t say anything, but placed thumb and finger and his chin, tilting it so Virgil was forced to look into his eyes. He’d expected anger, disappointment at the very least but there was only love and warmth dancing in his eyes as he grinned.  
  
“You’re a Tracy, Virg, it happens.”  
  
He said it so matter-of-factly, as if those few words explained everything, that Virgil found himself sighing in relief and grinning back. It looked like things between them had reached an understanding, at least for today.  
  
But both grins were wiped from existence when the door opened behind them.

* * *

Scarcely five minutes had passed since he had left his two youngest brothers, and he was now approaching the rear of the mall. There were officers everywhere, but Scott knew at a glance they were Special Weapons And Tactics. Armed with sniper rifles and dressed in thick body armour and helmets, these guys meant business, their task being to eliminate the terrorist threat with no civilian casualties. Sheriff Winters wasn’t over here, having stayed at the front to co-ordinate the front entrance patrol.  
  
Surveying his surroundings, Scott took note of the scene. The SWAT officers were in a group, ready to fulfil the orders to infiltrate the building. Winters had ordered all teams to move forward, but had then overruled it as these guys had wanted a full strategy of attack and their first point of call was getting past the coded door. There were bound to be terrorists on guard and they needed the right moment to strike.  
  
Looking over in that direction he saw dad’s black Porsche, parked haphazardly a few metres from the maintenance entrance. He felt anger well up inside of him and his hands clenched into fists. It served as a reminder of what was inside. If anything went wrong with this raid, if the terrorists hurt _anyone,_ someone Scott knew and loved, well, Scott Tracy would be the wrong person to cross.    
  
He was here because he needed to get inside, but that was going to prove to be easier said than done. After all, he stood out like a sore thumb in his jeans and jacket against these black-clad officers, unarmed civilian against armed soldiers. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t gong to try.  
  
The six SWAT vehicles were all aligned parallel to the building, with the soldiers in front – currently distracted. Scott ran and ducked behind the backs of each truck, attempting to make his way around the back before somehow sneaking in through the door. He managed to successfully reach the fifth truck, second nearest the door when he felt a hand on his shoulder.  
  
“Hey, kid, what do you think you’re doing?” a sharp voice asked.  
  
Gritting his teeth in annoyance at being caught, the teen pilot turned. The female soldier was about Scott’s height, but looked at least twice as old. “Uhh sorry, Ma’am, I was just curious to see what was going on. Something like this isn’t usual around here, you know.”  
  
“Yeah well, get your ass out of here before you get hurt. This is a very dangerous operation we’ve got going on and we don’t want any more civilians involved.”  
  
Scott was about to nod his head in defeat when suddenly there was several identical cries of static from radios and in unison emitted a voice – Sheriff Winters’ voice.  
  
 _“Abort attack! Repeat: abort! All units back off. The shutters are opening our end, back up needed immediately, hold your fire!”_  
  
Scott turned and watched as the group of soldiers instantly divided, half heading back to the front of the Mall while the rest stayed. Their formation disbanded and they scattered, some forming small groups, their loud hissing voices reaching him even from this distance. But for now, they were all distracted.  
  
Checking over his shoulder periodically to check he was clear, he advanced closer and closer to the door. He vaguely made out the voices from the nearest group some ten feet away, muttering about blowing the door and going in despite their orders.  
  
Scott however, knew an easier way in.  
  
In all the confusion around him, he entered the code 36J and slipped unnoticed through the door.


	14. Revelations

Chapter Fourteen  
Revelations

 

Crouched down rather uncomfortably in the small space between wall and desk, he waited where he sat for as short a time as he dared. On the one hand wanting to make sure the office door was not going to reopen anytime soon, on the other not wanting to waste any time. He understood the point to John’s words, that the terrorists had no reason to suspect he was in here so he should be safe. But he thought it sensible to be cautious all the same. What good would it do if he were caught?  
  
So Dan Parker counted to ten and then slowly stood up, being careful not to make any noise, he ears straining for any sign of approaching footsteps. He could hear voices but the distance from him muffled them so he couldn’t figure out the words.  
  
Satisfied he was in the clear, he stood blinking for a few moments as an idea struck him. Frowning a little in thought he looked first to the door, then to the computer in front of him, and then back again. He had watched Virgil’s older brother pull up the CCTV in mere seconds all by just hitting a few random keys in rapid succession. Was there a chance he’d be able to do the same, to establish what was going on around him? He had to try. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that Virgil would have tried had he still been here.  
  
Sitting somewhat nervously in the chair, he swallowed before knocking the mouse to awaken the screen before typing in his mom’s password. She’d probably kill him when she found out he knew it...  
  
Hang on, just whom was he kidding? What he was currently doing, a mere teenager attempting to hack into the national bank’s security footage, was probably if not _definitely_ illegal – way more serious and punishable than knowing his mom’s computer password.  
  
He shook his head. _Serves her right though for being so damn predictable.  
  
_ That thought sent a pang of guilt through him. She might not even be alive at the end of all of this. Closing his eyes and taking a steady breath, he sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that she’d be all right. Virgil had mentioned seeing her earlier before he and John had been brought in here, but who knew what had happened since then. John had only been able to access the security footage of the bank, although now he though about it, maybe that had only been because they knew what the situation out there was.  
  
He bit his lip. Was any chance he could widen it to see the mall? Then he could look for her and see if she was okay, and John too as that was where he’d been taken. But he didn’t want to risk it. John was a genius with this stuff, Dan wasn’t.  
  
The footage kicked back in at that point, still on the corner of the bank where the commander had been talking to some foreign guy before they’d taken John, and Dan thanked his lucky stars the older boy had left it on the screen.  
  
Flexing his fingers a few times, he then proceeded to give the keyboard a few feeble swipes. The feeds changed and Dan, confidence growing, kept on going, taking notice that the entire interior of the building appeared to be deserted, other than for Virgil and Jeff Tracy in the safe room. Whatever voices he’d heard earlier, had now gone.  
  
He could get out of there.  
  
He stared at the door for a good long moment. All he had to do was walk over there, open the door and walk out. He banged his fists down in frustration. He wasn’t going to run yet, if the place was empty he could get Virgil and his dad out too…   
  
Dan ran his eyes over the key ring, over the three different keys attached to it. There was absolutely no hope of one of those fitting that safe room; the goons in black must have it. But his mom was the manager of this place; surely _somewhere_ she’d have keys to every single room?  
  
However every thought was driven out of his head when he looked up at the screen.  
  
He had no idea what he’d done, but he’d somehow managed to obtain access to closed-circuit television footage from outside the bank – from inside the mall itself. Slightly taken aback but smiling nonetheless, Dan studied the view carefully, disappointed to see there was only a view of the floor directly beneath the camera. Not wanting to mess around any more with the keyboard in case he lost the picture, he instead turned up the speakers to test if there was any audio, biting his lip half in the expectation of there being none, half in desperate hope. But he was lucky.  
  
 _“Place your weapons on the ground and back off. Come_ **any** _closer and Tracy’s kid, Blondie here, dies.”  
  
_ His heart was in his throat; it appeared the leader was engaging the police or whoever was outside – he could faintly make out the disco effect being cast on the floor by the flashing red and blue lights. At least he knew where John was, though from the sounds of it, he was far from safe.  
  
Then there was an explosion of sound – a few screams, loud voices and hurried footsteps.  
  
 _“Oh no you don’t. **You** are staying with me. Close them!” _ the same voice shouted less than a minute later when the noise had died down. Dan gathered everyone held hostage had been let out except for John, who had apparently tried to make a run for it too.  
  
Then, at the next voice that rang out, his blood ran cold and his stomach dropped.  
  
 _“Let me go! What right do you have to keep me in here?”  
  
_ Not John, _Mom_.  
  
 _“You’ve been a fine actress so far tonight but you are staying here with the rest of us now. You’re part of it too, don’t go bailing on us now, Jane.”  
  
_ In shock, frustration and sheer desperation Dan slammed his fist down onto the keyboard, but regretted it instantly when he lost the audio and the picture. He leaned back, wrenching his hands through his hair. Mom was a part of this whole thing? No, he _refused_ to believe it! What would she gain helping _terrorists_ walk all over her workplace?   
  
He needed to get that picture back. Needed to hear his mom explain herself. He ran his eyes frantically over the keyboard, as if hoping the ones he needed to press would magically jump out at him. Looking back at the screen again however he froze, eyes wide. The picture had changed again and the audio had gone, but what he saw made his hope of getting out of there burn that extra-bit brighter.  
  
Scott Tracy was in the far back corner of the mall, tucked out of sight of the terrorists.  
  
Dan took one glance at the determination on the eldest Tracy’s face before swiping the keys into his hands and moving.

* * *

John was beginning to wonder just why he’d decided that tonight of all nights had been the time to break rules. It had been with good intentions and yet so far it had landed him and Virgil, and now even the rest of his family, into a pattern of consecutive nightmares.  
  
If he’d just stayed put, where would they all be now? Virgil would be safe in his bedroom. Gordon and Alan would be long in the land of nod, and Scott…well, Scott would have hopefully have seen sense to apologise to his middle brother and everything would be fine. The two of them didn’t argue often at all, but when they did they usually made it up to each other the same day.  
  
Right now, as he was being escorted roughly from the bank and towards the front of the crowd of hostages where Virgil had been made to call their father earlier, John prayed for _something_ to happen. If he tried to run he’d be dead before he’d taken so much as a few steps.  
  
So instead he allowed himself to be held at gunpoint by ‘Eagle’ as the military leader barked orders at his men to guard the exits and make sure no one got inside. When they appeared to be ready he gave a hand signal and just like that, the metal shutters before him slowly made their way upwards.  
  
He had to blink a few times to rid his eyes of the lingering spots in his vision at the amount of bright flashing emergency lights outside. As his eyes adjusted he saw a swarm of armed police, their guns trained at the black-clad terrorists.  
  
Eagle wasted no time. “Place your weapons on the ground and back off now!” He shouted at them. “Come **any** closer and Tracy’s kid, Blondie here, dies.”  
  
John stood stock still, willing himself not to struggle. It appeared the plan they had originally come in here with had been forcibly changed and they weren’t prepared, the astronomer could tell through the slight desperation hinted in this guy’s voice. They had lost their professional edge. This hadn’t been part of the original plan and he was now improvising. That made him even more dangerous.  
  
Somehow, he caught eye contact with Sheriff Winters and fixed him with a calm and steady gaze, silently communicating. The father of one continued to frown defiantly at him until he gave up, looking resignedly to the floor before ordering his own men to obey. Eagle must have given another hand signal as next thing he knew, people were rushing past him - couples, groups of friends, staff. John breathed a sigh of relief, if they were letting these go then surely the terrorists knew their time was nearly up.  
  
The pressure on the side of this head from the gun was temporarily relieved when the guy made a grab for one of the members of the bank staff, keeping her from escaping. John saw out of the corner of his eye that it was Mrs Parker, Virgil’s friend’s mom who’d tried to protect his younger brother earlier.  
  
“Oh no you don’t. _You_ are staying with me. Close them!” he roared.  
  
John’s stomach flipped and his shoulder sagged. She was involved, that was the only reason he could muster for him keeping her back.  
  
“Let me go! What right do you have to keep me in here?”  
  
“You’ve been a fine actress so far tonight but you are staying here with the rest of us now. You’re part of it too, don’t go bailing on us now, Jane.”  
  
John couldn’t help but agree with him there despite everything that had occurred that night. Virgil had been so sure she’d been helping them, deliberately being cryptic in front of these men to protect her son. John had thought so too; it had seemed so clever, so logical in the scheme of things. So why…?  
  
But his thoughts were cut off as she bit back, voice dripping with venom. “Take the damn mask off, Tony, you’re fooling anyone anymore! You’re still the same son of a bitch I married once!”  
  
The shutters closed again with a clang that echoed around the near-deserted mall like a gunshot. The tense silence that followed was so loud John was surprised his eardrums didn’t burst.  
  
He was glad Dan wasn’t seeing any of this.


	15. Mrs Parker

Chapter Fifteen  
Mrs Parker

 

**_Earlier that day…_ **

The phone rang as the woman was getting into the car, a black Mercedes SL 65 AMG. Dumping her bag on the passenger seat she pulled the vibrating device from her coat pocket, taking one glance at the private caller ID before acknowledging with a swipe of her thumb and putting it to her right ear.  
  
“Yes?”  
  
_“Everything’s set. We strike at twenty-one hundred, got it?”  
  
_ “Sure,” she replied nonchalantly. “I’m none the wiser.”  
  
_“Okay, I’ll see you later.”_  
  
Tony Parker hung up before she could move the mobile from her ear, and she flung it carelessly into her bag. Starting up the car and beginning her journey to work, she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the “precise and fool-proof” plan they’d concocted not going quite as smooth, despite the months of preparation.  
  
After all, she was withholding a few vital pieces of information. And that, would bring their downfall.

* * *

At two forty-five pm exactly, Jane Parker entered the building, walking briskly towards her destination, smiling and nodding in greeting to anyone she passed. She trusted her employees to run things smoothly for the morning without her, and once again everything appeared to be in perfect order.  
  
Arriving at the door she unlocked it and went inside, turning on the lights and unbuttoning her coat. She hated having any personal belongings with her in her workspace, finding it distracting and of great annoyance. Most of her staff kept their bags under their desks or by the side of their chairs, or at least in the same room. But for the Manhattan branch manager, such an idea was unnerving so she kept her bag along with her mobile and coat in a closet next door to her office; close by and easily accessible in case of emergency but out of her sight.  
  
Unlocking and entering her office she headed over to her desk, starting up the computer. The same principle applied here too; no photographs of her two boys, no funky-patterned memo pad and matching pen – to name a few of the items she’d seen on colleague workstations. The walls were a plain but neat-and-pristine white and the room itself had minimal furniture, and everything within the confines of the metal cupboard and the big filing cabinet were all property of the bank; not hers. Colleagues would feel uncomfortable whenever they were called here for meetings, she would see it in their faces, their body language, but it was the reverse wherever else _she_ went in the building. She just preferred to keep her personal and work lives separate, simple as.  
  
Once the monitor was all set up, she headed for the break room for her usual dose of caffeine. Under normal circumstances she’d get her secretary to make her a coffee, but Fridays were the one day she worked mid-afternoon till late so she always made herself one when she arrived.  
  
Cradling the black mug of coffee in one hand she returned again to the office, pleased to see that in her brief absence her secretary had been in and placed today’s schedule of appointments onto her desk; only three today. A sponsorship opportunity to promote the bank to potential customers, the Kansas Wildcats quarterback who only ever discussed his financial affairs with her (he’d recently been involved in a drugs scandal and had spent time on and off in rehab) as his mother had been a confidante of hers back in her school years. Then lastly was a Mr Daley booked in for ten to nine that evening. Babs had noted helpfully at the side that this was the only time he was available today.  
  
Frowning as she placed the coffee mug on the desk, she set out to search for her young secretary. It’d be helpful to find out a little bit more about this client before she agreed to the appointment.  
  
Rounding a corner, Jane almost collided with the very person she was searching for.  
  
“Oh, Jane, I was just on my way to find you. How are you today?”  
  
“I’m fine thank you, and yourself?” she replied with a warm smile as they both fell into step.  
  
“A little rushed off my feet if I’m honest, but that’s nothing new. It’s how I’ve always functioned,” Babs said in a rather glum voice but Jane understood.  
  
Barbara ‘Babs’ Wilson was twenty-seven and had never settled into a location for any considerable length of time. Even her four years at Princeton University was only the third longest she’d stayed put anywhere. That was mainly down to her family, her parents being avid travellers. Not the kind that moved from place to place in caravans with no real permanent address, but the adventurous explorer types who wanted to see the world – and they could afford it too.  
  
Jane had wondered why, when she was from a wealthy background, she had wanted to settle down in rural Kansas with a full-time secretarial job, she was worth more than that. But Babs had assured her that she wanted to make her own way in the world for a bit until she was happy, and that was what she had been doing for the last six years since graduating. Although she had only recently ended up in Kansas after a romance over in Florida crumbled; she’d been Jane’s secretary for only eight months.  
  
“But still,” she said in a more cheerful tone. “I love it and maybe I won’t have to start over anytime soon. How are the boys?”  
  
“Everything’s great, Joey’s just landed a new job which he’ll start next week. He’s still working on his plumbing and electronics apprenticeship on the side too.”  
  
“Well congratulations to him, he’s worked so hard!” the brunette gushed.  
  
“I’ll make sure I pass that on to him. Daniel’s coming here tonight after school with his friend Virgil, one of Jeff Tracy’s sons.”  
  
“Oh, I bet that’ll be good for them, there’s so much technology these days most kids I know just stay at home on games consoles. Gone are the days of having to force them inside after an hour of playing in the park.”  
  
“Daniel’s not really the gaming type, I guess I should be proud of that.”  
  
As they approached her office door Jane remembered why she’d wanted to catch her secretary in the first place. As much as she was comfortable with small talk she was much happier getting down to business.

* * *

The day passed quickly and before she knew it, the fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling in the main part of the Mall were switched on indicating it was getting dark.  
  
Briefly checking her phone in the closet next door to her office, she saw there was nothing from her eldest to say anything was wrong. Dan didn’t have his cell phone as it was in for repair, but if Joey wasn’t reporting anything then Dan must have returned safe and sound from his shopping trip.  
  
Or so she thought until Babs poked her head in around half past eight to say Dan was outside waiting to see her before showing him in. She noticed Virgil wasn’t anywhere to be seen but he could have made his own way home… _surely_ they couldn’t have been at the Mall for this long?  
  
“Daniel, sweetheart, what are you doing here?” she asked, embracing him before asking him about Virgil.  
  
“There was an incident with Gary and he got grounded. But I needed to pick up a few things anyway so Joey gave me a lift.”  
  
Oh, so Dan was here alone. No wonder he’d come to see her. “It’s a bit late though don’t you think? I’d expected you to be gone before now.”  
  
“Well at first, I put off coming alone without Virgil, but I just couldn’t stand sitting home bored out of my head."   
  
“Well, take a seat, would you like anything to drink? I’m sure I could get Babs to make you a hot chocolate?”  
  
“No, I’m fine thanks, Mom.” Dan smiled as he sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Then she chuckled as he looked round the room and pulled a face. He had been to her work before but when he was younger, now older he was able to take in his surroundings and form an opinion. It was the same she saw in her staff when they came in here.  
  
“The office isn’t quite the same as home is it? I find colours distracting while I’m working, whereas at home I’m free to relax. Are you going to get on with your shopping? I’d hate you to stay out too late. I’d let you stay but I’m due to have a client just before nine.”  
  
She hated to be pushy and she knew her son wouldn’t like being escorted out when he’d just got here but she had matters to attend to. They could spend time together tomorrow when she was free.  
  
Babs then knocked and poked her head in, eyeing Dan and Jane knew she was about to take her son off her hands, being in tune with her schedule. Sure enough she asked if Dan could help with moving some files, an unnecessary task but one that would take him off her hands while she dealt with her appointment.  
  
Flashing a grateful smile she replied. “Sure. Make sure you behave, Daniel.”  
  
“I will, Mom,” he assured her.  
  
In the short space of time her son was out of the room, Jane was visited by Mr Daley, her late appointment. After asking Babs what his business had been when he’d made the appointment and she’d said he would only speak to the manager in person, she’d allowed the meeting to go ahead. But now she was thinking it had just been a complete waste of time. The man, around her age; late thirties, dressed in a suit to indicate importance but with a balding head, had simply strode into her office, muttered nothing at all in reply to her small talk and after a few minutes had left. He’d even left his briefcase which upon inspection was padlocked so she couldn’t gain access. She was going to turn it in when Dan returned and they talked for another few minutes.  
  
The gunshots were heard just as she was preparing to usher him back home.  
  
All previous ideas fleeing from her head she immediately took action. “Dan, in the cupboard NOW!” she shouted at him, all but pushing him forward.  
  
“Mom!” he protested as she fumbled with the keys to lock the door.  
  
“Sorry, Daniel. Mommy loves you, just stay there and keep silent!”  
  
On the verge of panicking, she threw the keys into the bottom drawer of her desk before hurrying from the room praying no one would search the office and discover her son. The air was thick with the sounds of terrified screams and pounding feet and Jane knew on instinct this was about to turn into a bank robbery. But she had trained for scenarios such as these and she hit the panic button hidden away from prying eyes in the break room. This had a direct link to the police department, and it was sure to send them running.  
  
Sprinting from the room as well as she could in heels, she ushered customers calmly from the bank as if it was simply a fire drill. As the manager of the branch she had an image to uphold, an image that she would damn well try to uphold.  
  
All too soon, she was being bodily dragged from the bank by figures in black. One, who appeared to be their leader was shouting at her to open the safe to access an obscene amount of money. She screamed back that she, even as the manager of the place, had no access, which obviously threw the man.  
  
“I’m not telling you.” the mother-of-two replied boldly when he demanded a name, but when the guns were pointed at her she reached the threshold of her bravery. She stepped back, her hands held up in surrender. “Okay, okay!” she breathed. “Jeff Tracy.”  
  
Things had only gone downhill from there, as it was revealed that Virgil Tracy was in fact in the building. How, when Dan had insisted they’d never come together, had the middle Tracy son made his way here? She figured it was one of his brothers, but scanning the crowd she couldn’t see Scott anywhere.  
  
Virgil was brought up to the front and she watched from her position stood nearby, held tightly in the grip of one of the men, as he was forced to give ransom demands to his father. Jane felt utterly terrible, like she’d betrayed the Tracy family. If she’d known Virgil was here she wouldn’t have given away the fact it was his father who could access the safe. But she hadn’t been expecting him to be here…now look what she’d done!  
  
“Leave him alone! Jeff Tracy will have your heads for this!” she cried, and Virgil was all but dropped to the floor like a ragdoll as the attention was switched to her.  
  
“No, lady. He’s gonna get us what we want, considerably faster. You shut your mouth and keep quiet,” he growled, backhanding her across the face so hard she lost her balance, falling to the floor with a gasp of both pain and shock. She knew that voice.  
  
Then Virgil was in front of her asking if she was okay. She replied in hushed tones as she saw a chance to go one-up on the terrorists.  
  
“Don’t worry about me, Virgil dear, you just make sure you look after yourself. I’m so sorry I didn’t realise you were here. Dan said you couldn’t come as you were grounded - he came to see me earlier but went home to help the babysitter with Joey.”  
  
Virgil frowned at her, and Jane prayed he would figure out her message. The chances of them being put together were slim, but she couldn’t help but hope.  
  
Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, John handed himself over as Virgil was being escorted into the bank. That made two sons and Jeff Tracy himself getting involved in this, and it was all _her_ fault. When this was all over, there was definitely going to be a meeting about security as the present system was just not good enough. What were the chances the entire process would be blown to pieces in just one _night?  
  
_ Jane and the rest of the Mall were virtually left alone while the business was going on inside the bank. The only thing stopping an escape was her ex-husband’s henchman guarding them, guns trained on them.  
  
Tony was Dan and Joey’s father, but he’d been out of their lives for ten years. Marrying him young when he was on military leave, it had been a long nine years. His time stationed over in the Middle East had left him not so much traumatised as hell bent crazy out of his mind. Their relationship was no longer there so she’d forced him to leave after several violent arguments, and had a lawyer put up a restraining order – he couldn’t come within a hundred miles of her and her two boys or risk prison. Boy would she have a story to tell when she left this place.  
  
After what seemed like days of just sitting on the floor, something finally happened. Tony re-emerged with a few of his men but he was also leading John, Jeff Tracy’s second eldest, with a gun pointed at his head. There was no sign of Dan so she hoped her plan had worked and he and also Virgil and Jeff, were safe.  
  
The shutters were opened and Jane couldn’t help but sag a little in relief, were they about to be released?  
  
“Place your weapons on the ground and back off now! Come _any_ closer and Tracy’s kid, Blondie here, dies.”  
  
The authorities obliged and all of a sudden people were scrambling to their feet and rushing past her. Breathing heavily, half in relief of the night being over but also in despair of leaving her son alone, she was slower at getting to her feet than everyone else. It worked against her, as someone grabbed her, holding her back.  
  
“Oh no you don’t,” Tony taunted. “ _You_ are staying with me. Close them!” he roared.  
  
“Let me go! What right do you have to keep me in here?” she fought back.  
  
“You’ve been a fine actress so far tonight but you are staying here with the rest of us now. You’re part of it too, don’t go bailing on us now, Jane.”  
  
Oh, so he was going to frame her, was he? Try and pin all of this on her while the authorities were watching? Well, she’d show him right back. Shouting as loud as she could, she shot straight back at him. “Take the damn mask off, Tony, you’re not fooling anyone anymore! You’re still the same son of a bitch I married once!”  
  
The shutters closed, and she was still trapped inside.  
  
What she had missed in all of the confusion however, was her trusted secretary Babs making her way to the rear of the mall, her footsteps brisk and confident and a smirk upon her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo…anybody guess that? XD


	16. A Twist of Fate

Chapter Sixteen  
A Twist of Fate

Scott hadn’t been entirely sure what to expect on the other side of the door. While his adrenaline-fuelled body was rearing to knock down anyone who got in his way, part of his mind was screaming hopeful thoughts of no obstructions, allowing him an easy and undetected way in.  
  
It had worked so far, as he was in the building – one step closer to his goal. But he wasn’t about to get complacent. Taking into account everything that had already occurred that day, fate appeared to have turned against anyone with the surname Tracy, and consequently Scott had his senses on high alert.  
  
The wide back-tunnel he’d stepped into was pitch black after all the glaring lights outside and it took his eyes a minute to adjust. There was sign of light ahead of him, somewhere off to the right around a bend. Straining his ears he could also hear voices, and he moved lightly on his feet so as not to give his position away.  
  
Approaching the bend and flattening himself against the wall ready to peer around to check his proximity, his ears focused on the voices, heart sinking in resignation when he realised they were guards. Toy soldiers in this affair but nevertheless more than a match for him physically, even with his level of combat training. The Air Cadets was by no means a recruitment organisation for the US Air Force, but it had nevertheless given him appropriate and valuable training he could put to use. But against professional, experienced ex-military soldiers when he was still in high school? That sent a shiver down his spine but he shrugged it off. If he had to take these terrorists down to get to his family then that was precisely what he would do.  
  
“Eagle wants us to remain down here, Jet, guard the door,” one voice said, in a gruff American tone. “We’ll hear if any cops open it as they’ll have to use force – it’s keypad sealed. So keep your ears attentive but I’m not expecting anything. As soon as he’s finished with his current stunt we’ll report back.”  
  
The codenames didn’t surprise Scott one bit, he and his air cadets team had them too and it was common in the military. But in this scenario, he thought to himself as he chanced a glance around the corner before retreating back against the wall, the balaclavas would of course have been useless if they’d started throwing names around, names that hostages could use to identify them afterwards.  
  
“What does he think he’s playing at?” the one known as ‘Jet’ said, his tongue also American, but slightly higher in pitch than the other man.  
  
There was a sharp click-clacking in the distance, softened by the way it echoed down the tunnel.  
  
“Something’s gone wrong and he’s clutching at straws. Let’s just hope that-” But he was cut off by another voice, this time a female voice, joining in the conversation – high heels against the hard floor giving away her approach.   
  
“What do you two think you’re doing?” she asked in a stern, authoritative tone, the type Scott’s teacher used at school when telling off some misbehaving classmates. Scott figured she must be an accomplice, and higher up in the ranks than these men. “Eagle told you to guard the exits, so why _aren’t_ you?”  
  
“Sorry, Ma’am. We’ll get to it.”  
  
Scott had no chance to take cover. The one called Jet rounded the corner where he was waiting.  
  
“Say, there’s a kid!” he cried, gun pointed at Scott’s chest. He was Scott’s height, but he couldn’t tell how old, dressed in black from head to foot – combat trousers, boots, jacket and a balaclava.  
  
The teen assumed the whole lot of them in here would be dressed that way. A military attack required military precision, and if one of their number were armed and uniformed then they all were. No rank was visible though, but Scott knew there was some hierarchy as the one who had called the house earlier and alerted them all to this situation in the first place – he’d displayed all the authority of a leader – just through his barking voice.  
  
Scott didn’t even need to think. He was being threatened and his target was not focused. His limbs took over, right foot striking the man in the chest while his left hand twisted around the gun, knocking it away. The terrorist was caught off guard, not expecting Scott to know any combat let alone fight back. The gun fell to the floor with a clatter and then it was just the two of them, hand to hand.  
  
Scott blocked most of the punches that were aimed at his face, save one which hit him in the jaw sending him staggering backwards. Jet got the upper hand then, his knee connecting with Scott’s stomach and a foot to his chest sending him sprawling across the floor knocking the wind out of him.  
  
Coughing and spluttering he didn’t give up, instead shuffling forwards and swiping the man’s legs out from under him, toppling him to the floor. Scott was instantly upon him, kneecap digging into the man’s chest to hold him down.  
  
“Impressive,” came the woman’s voice behind him. But it wasn’t cold and sneering it was full of genuine admiration.  
  
Turning his head he saw her stood a few metres behind him, her tied-up brunette hair slightly dishevelled, the other terrorist lying behind her apparently unconscious. Her formal dress, blouse, skirt and blazer, suggested she was staff and the logo on the name badge gave away that she was in fact an employee of the bank.  
  
He stared blankly at her for a few seconds before looking back at the man he had on the floor, unsure of what to do.  
  
So she wasn’t an accomplice? She was on his side...?  
How-?  
  
Her voice jolted him out of his daze. “How about we escort these two outside. Some friends of mine out there will be glad to see them.”  
  
“No. I’ve got to get to my brothers,” he insisted, standing up.  
  
“Scott Tracy, right?” she asked quietly, dragging Jet to his feet. When he nodded somewhat reluctantly back she simply said. “Wait until everyone is out and they go back inside the bank. Stay out of sight and be careful. Go!”  
  
Not waiting to give her a smile of thanks he took off up the tunnel, briefly hearing a scuffling behind him as she fought with the struggling terrorist gang member. He ached all over but he ignored it, now even more determined than ever to get to his family. He was so _close_ now!  
  
Emerging into the Mall, he immediately ducked out of sight into the entranceway of the sports store, sat on the floor with his back against the display window and his knees up to his chest. The front shutters were open as he could see the reflected coloured lights from the sirens dancing around the walls.  
  
“Let me go! What right do you have to keep me in here?” a woman’s voice shouted, echoing around the deserted shopping centre.  
  
“You’ve been a fine actress so far tonight but you are staying here with the rest of us now. You’re a part of it too, don’t go bailing on us now, Jane.” a male voice shouted back.  
  
Peeking periodically from his hiding place to see what was going on he finally saw John, held in the grip of the man who was having the shouting match with the woman. John looked calm, not attempting to struggle and Scott commended him. If he panicked and ran for it, he’d no doubt get himself hurt.   
  
Looking around however, he couldn’t see Virgil or his dad.  
  
“Take the damn mask off, Tony, you’re not fooling anyone anymore! You’re still the same son of a bitch I married once!”  
  
Scott sat back against the window, leaning his head back until it hit the glass with a quiet thump and running his hands through his hair. He couldn’t give up now, he _had_ to keep on going. His hands were shaking in nerves and fury as thoughts whirled around his head.  
  
 _What the hell am I doing?_ He thought to himself, chuckling. It was a crazy stunt he was pulling, one that his father would definitely reprimand him for. He had no back up, heavily outnumbered by all these terrorists _and_ he was unarmed. But he’d do whatever it took to see his brothers and dad safe and alive, and out of there.  
  
It seemed to take an age but eventually like the woman had said, an undercover officer Scott deduced, the gang made their way back into the bank taking John with them.  
  
He waited until the very last of them had retreated inside before getting to his feet and steadily making his way towards the building.


	17. Making a Move

Chapter Seventeen  
Making a Move

 

_"I tripped up in art class and threw my tray of paints into him – he just happened to be walking past me it wasn't intentional! Then at lunchtime later on he saw me and started chasing me. He insulted Scott and John so I hit him, he threatened me but when I moved I pushed him and he fell down the stairs."_  
  
_He bit his lip, not believing he'd just admitted that. He usually wasn't one for lying or troublemaking. In his eyes that incident, which felt like days ago rather than hours, had sparked everything._  
  
_Dad didn't say anything, but placed thumb and finger and his chin, tilting it so Virgil was forced to look into his eyes. He'd expected anger, disappointment at the very least but there was only love and warmth dancing in his eyes as he grinned._  
  
_"You're a Tracy, Virg, it happens.”_  
  
_He said it so matter-of-factly, as if those few words explained everything, that Virgil found himself sighing in relief and grinning back._  
  
_But both grins were wiped from existence when the door opened behind them._  


* * *

 

The world around Virgil became a sudden blur and for a moment he was disorientated, head rushing from the combination of the sudden movement and burst of adrenaline. His heart was hammering in his chest until the world abruptly righted itself, and Virgil was prevented from swaying slightly with dizziness by the strong grip his dad now had upon his arm. The father had swiftly moved in front of him, defending his son against whoever had just entered the room.  
  
His grip relaxed however, when a figure the artist’s height slipped quickly into the room.  
  
“Dan!” Virgil cried, smiling and letting out a gasp of relief. His friend and brother had arrived to save them, finally! But his smile faded when he realised how guilty his fellow ninth grader looked, and that their blond accomplice was missing.  
  
“How…? Where’s J-” Jeff began, but Dan gave Virgil a meaningful look, ignoring the patriarch.  
  
“John was taken not long after you. I’m sorry, there was no way to prevent it, he just told me to keep out of sight behind the desk and they came. He’s alright though, far as I could tell.”  
  
Dan’s eyes hit the floor briefly and Virgil understood. That explained Bane leaving the room so abruptly, and Dan must have followed John’s example and hacked back into the CCTV. It made the artist grin to think his friend hadn’t given in even when he’d been stuck completely alone, not to mention he had come to rescue them rather than saving himself. It touched Virgil, and he playfully punched the older boy in the shoulder.  
  
“Am I missing something, boys?”  
  
Virgil couldn’t help but snicker at his dad’s obvious confusion and shock. Boy would they have a whale of a time explaining the night’s adventures later! But right now, they had to get out of there.  
  
“We’ll explain later. Is the place clear?” Virgil asked hopefully, and to his delight Dan nodded.  
  
“The only ones left now are us and them. They let the hostages out just minutes ago – John was used as bait to stop the police outside from storming in, and they still have him. And Scott’s in here too, he’s hiding outside the sports store.”  
  
Virgil didn’t even flinch when Jeff swore, his thoughts focused on whether Scott would remain undetected, and that John was still okay.  
  
“Come on,” the Tracy patriarch said, ushering the two boys towards the door, though he shot Virgil a look that said they had a lot to talk about later. “Stay behind me.”  
  
“Did you see any sign of your mom?” Virgil whispered as they made their way through the corridors, remembering Dan also had family involved in this. He couldn’t help the frown creasing his brow when he saw Dan instantly stiffen and swallow hard.  
  
“She’s involved in this, Virg. The leader said so,” he replied, a dejected tone to his voice.  
  
Virgil’s eyes roamed the carpeted floor in a mixture of shock and denial. No, there was no way Jane Parker had anything to do with this, she had saved Dan from being caught, and had even helped them to escape. But then again, could it just have been an act?  
  
He was almost knocked over backwards then as he collided with his father, who had stopped in his tracks and turned to face them. His expression was one of disappointment and hurt, which Virgil had not seen on his father’s face for a few years.  
  
“Why would Jane do such a thing?” he whispered.  
  
Virgil shook his head, not ready to believe such a thing without proof. “We don’t yet know if she has, Dad, let’s not judge her yet. She’s been a great help to us tonight.” The genuine look of pride he received in return made the teenager turn and carry on walking.  
  
Voices drifting around the bend made him stop, and he stretched out a hand behind him indicating the others follow suit. They were now near the main foyer of the bank.  
  
“Let’s take you back to your idiot father and nuisance of a brother, shall we, and see if we are any closer to our prize.”  
  
It was Bane; his cold and cruel voice addressing John. Virgil felt his fists clench by his sides; he needed to do something.  
  
There was a loud thump, accompanied by an angry shout. It sounded as if John had just expressed how much he disliked the idea of any of them getting near his family. While it may have worked momentarily, it only served to make the terrorist leader even madder, as there followed a scuffle of shoes and another thud accompanied by a gasp of pain. Bane had thrown John up against the wall. Virgil stood there, instincts screaming for him to run to his brother’s aid.  
  
But he was beaten to it, for a dangerous voice growled - low and quiet but it seemed to pierce the air like thunder.  
  
“Get your hands off my brother, right now.”

* * *

 

When Gordon had seen the shutters open from inside the Sheriff’s car, he had assumed the nightmare was over. Alan had tried to stay awake but the combination of stress from the night and the fact it was way past the six-year-old’s bedtime, meant his only younger brother had fallen asleep not long after Scott had left them.  
  
At first, the child had kicked up a fuss when he found out Scott had left them, but soothing the youngest Tracy had been a relatively easy task once Gordon had manoeuvred the Sprout into his usual sleeping position and begun stroking a hand through his hair. He might not get to show it often on his own, but Gordon really loved being a big brother.  
  
The swimmer found he was close to dozing off too, when all of a sudden there’d been a strange noise followed by a rush of commotion from outside. Then the world before him suddenly grew brighter, as the shopping mall interior was finally revealed as the shutters opened. Knowing Alan was too big for him to carry in his arms like Scott, the ten-year-old took a final glance at his sound-asleep brother before opening the door as quietly as he could and slipping out. He needed to get to his family.  
  
It was quite the busy scene, and it almost overwhelmed the prankster. There were officers and soldiers running and taking up position, guns in their hands, and as Gordon got closer, he could see inside.  
  
He could see John. It had been hours since he’d seen him, and Gordon was fixed to the spot as he took in his brother’s predicament. His second eldest brother looked okay, but was being held by a man dressed in black, much like the soldiers out here. But he had a black mask over his face, like many bad guys the prankster had seen in movies and comics. He couldn’t see Virgil, or Scott, or Daddy but Gordon knew they were in there. Were they in the crowd behind John and the bad man?  
  
He was soon to find out as after some shouted words that Gordon couldn’t quite hear, all of a sudden more people poured out onto the street. As the redhead searched the now free hostages frantically, his panic grew when he couldn’t see anyone he desperately wanted to recognise. That feeling was made even worse when he looked towards the Mall again to see that John had not been let go, but kept exactly in the same position as the metal shutters began to close.  
  
Feeling tears start to sting his eyes, Gordon ran over towards the Sheriff, weaving through the throng. Policemen were supposed to help. Why hadn’t they done anything to get John from the bad man? Why weren’t they going inside to fetch his brothers and father?  
  
The ten-year-old was breathing heavily by the time he reached the chief of the Manhattan Police Department, who was talking with some soldiers, but that didn’t stop him from talking a mile a minute.  
  
“Why can’t you go inside and help? My brothers need your help and you just left them in there! How could you leave them I – * _hiccup_ * - don’t want them getting hurt it will make Alan – * _hiccup_ * - upset. If they get hurt it’s all your fault and Daddy will be very angry-”  
  
“Gordon-” Sheriff Winters crouched down to the youngster’s level but the redhead kept on talking.  
  
“And now Scotty’s gone in to save them but I don’t know what will happen. I don’t know what I’ll do if none of them – * _hiccup_ * - come back, I love being a big brother to Alan but I don’t want to be his only big brother. He needs Scott and Virg and Johnny, and what will we do if Dad doesn’t come back-”  
  
“Gordon Tracy!” the Sheriff said firmly, almost raising his voice but it worked to snap the prankster’s attention back to him. Gordon could feel the tears running down his cheeks and he sniffed, before shivering and automatically rubbing his arms.  
  
“Gordon,” Winters tried again. “Where’s Scott?”  
  
Taking a deep breath to steady his voice, he replied, “Inside, sir. He told me to look after Alan. And I did, he’s in the car asleep so I did what Scotty said-”  
  
“It’s okay, Gordon. We’re going to go inside right now and get your brothers and dad back, okay? Hey, Rivers!” he called, waving at a nearby paramedic who immediately ran over. “Gordon this is Tanya Rivers, a good friend of mine, she’ll look after you now, okay? Take her to Alan and then the two of you can get warmed up on proper beds.”  
  
Gordon nodded reluctantly, his gaze sweeping worryingly over the building. Tanya placed a guiding hand on his shoulder and she and Gordon began to walk back to the car, but not before a shouting voice was heard running towards them.  
  
“Gordon! Gordon!”


	18. A Step Backwards

Chapter Eighteen  
A Step Backwards

 

“Get your hands off my brother, right now.”  
  
Hearing Scott’s voice made up Virgil’s mind and he rounded the corner. Ignoring his father’s frantic whispers and Dan’s hand on his arm, he strode confidently into the foyer. He needed to see Scott and make sure he didn’t get hurt – the teen pilot had no experience in dealing with Bane and his gang, but Virgil knew what they were capable of.  
  
“You gonna make me, kid? You think you can get through all of us without Blondie here getting hurt?”  
  
It was a testament to how much he had been through that day that Virgil didn’t even flinch at the sight of the armed men, a few with their guns trained on Scott. The artist did, however, find it difficult to supress a gasp of shock at the appearance of his eldest brother and found his heart was beating in his mouth. Scott obviously _had_ had a run in with at least one of the Assassins, as he was sporting a split lip to rival his own following the earlier confrontation with Steelton. He also looked ruffled as his usually pristine hair was a mess and his coat was sporting an unmistakable boot sole impression from where he must have been kicked in the chest.  
  
But his face showed no pain, as he was too busy shooting daggers at the man holding John. Bane, the name Virgil had given the leader of the entire operation, still had the blond pinned against the wall. He had half-turned however, to where Scott stood nearby with the exit out to the Mall behind him. But his grip on John hadn’t lessened; Virgil could tell as John kept gasping for breath, quietly as he tried not to show any weakness in front of their current company.  
  
As they sensed new movement in Virgil’s direction, all heads turned simultaneously to him.  
  
But Virgil only had eyes for Scott.  
  
“Well, look who decided to join us. Virgie Tracy, come to save his brothers,” Bane said in a cold, sneering tone.  
  
Virgil saw a flicker of fear flash in Scott’s eyes before it vanished, replaced by a mixture of worry and pride as he looked at his middle brother. That look told him Scott knew he was okay but also that the big brother sense in him refused to let the worry go. That made the artist’s mouth twitch slightly as their brief silent conversation relayed the appropriate information. Scott was here to get them out safely and Virgil eyed his brother back, telling him he wasn’t just going to sit around and wait for that to happen.  
  
Their silent deal made, Virgil nodded discreetly as his focus turned away from Scott. Now they needed to get John away from Bane.  
  
“Leave him alone!” John shouted hoarsely, earning him another shove against the wall.  
  
Scott advanced at that, fury blazing in his eyes as he watched the leader hurt his younger brother. But with a few hand signals from Bane, the tables turned. Virgil was now struggling against the sharp grip of an Assassin, as was John, now free from Bane’s grasp only to be in the grip of another. Scott’s move had, in a way, worked, except he was now even more separated from his brothers. As Virgil looked on, still refusing to stand still, there was now a wall of the armed terrorists stopping Scott from getting any closer, no matter how hard he fought against them.  
  
“Now that was pure stupidity on your part, kid,” Bane continued, looking over at Scott from his side of the wall of men.  
  
“You did what I asked,” Scott said smugly with a shrug, and Virgil couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter at the pleased expression on his brother’s face. But he became serious again when Bane continued talking. Virgil couldn’t help but wonder what their dad must be thinking right now.  
  
“It seems that I did. However, if you see here, I still have both of your brothers, and all it takes from me is a simple command and my men will shoot them,” the quiet and threatening voice warned. “Unless you back down.”  
  
Virgil forced himself to keep calm. Bane had threatened his father earlier in the same way; he was not going to let it scare him. But his heart was beating in his chest when he heard Scott’s next reply, his voice still dangerous.  
  
“If you need anyone to use in this, use me. But let my brothers go.”  
  
“Scott, no!” John cried.

* * *

_Gordon nodded reluctantly, his gaze sweeping worryingly over the building. The paramedic, Tanya, placed a guiding hand on his shoulder as she and Gordon began to walk back to the car, but not before a shouting voice was heard running towards them.  
  
_ _“Gordon! Gordon!”  
  
_ The redhead looked up hopefully at the sound of his name, before deflating slightly when he realised the figure was running over from the direction of the barriers the press and bystanders were being kept behind. As they approached, Tanya removed her hand from Gordon’s shoulder and moved quickly in front of the prankster.  
  
“Woah,” she said, arms up to stop the newcomer. “And just who do you think _you_ are?”  
  
“Joey Parker, ma’am,” the boy replied, breathing heavily from running, and Gordon peeked around the paramedic, recognising him. “My younger brother and my mom are inside there, and we’re friends of the Tracy family.”  
  
Tanya turned her head to look down at Gordon; her arms still up to put some distance between them. Gordon nodded, reassuring her that Joey was telling the truth.  
  
“It’s true, Tanya. He’s babysat me and Alan before and his brother Dan is my brother Virgil’s friend.”  
  
Taking another second to assess the situation before she appeared satisfied, the woman moved back behind Gordon. Joey then crouched down to Gordon’s height, hands on the redhead’s shoulders.  
  
“I saw on the news what happened. Where’s Alan and Scott?”  
  
“Alan’s inside the Sheriff’s car,” Tanya supplied. “We were just about to collect him. Winters wants them with us in one of our vans to keep warm. The eldest ran off inside to play hero. Winters is sending in a specialist team as we speak.”  
  
Joey nodded, standing up and heading towards the car and Gordon followed, thinking. There was going to be a lot of explanations needed from everyone, as Virgil and Dan had both ended up in the same place after Virgil was supposed to be grounded. But the prankster couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride towards his two immediate older brothers; it appeared he was rubbing off on them after all!  
  
Approaching the car, Gordon opened the door and climbed inside, carefully shaking Alan awake. The six-year-old blinked sleepily at the two newcomers stood at the open door, before turning questioning eyes on Gordon.  
  
“Has Scotty got Virgey and Johnny, yet?”  
  
“Not yet, Sprout.” Gordon said sadly, shaking his head. “But look who’s here to look after us, you remember Joey, Mrs Parker’s big son?” When Alan nodded, Gordon grabbed his brother’s hand and helped him out of the car.  
  
“Hey, kiddo,” Joey said softly, ruffling the kid’s hair. “Don’t worry, okay? Your family will be out soon.”  
  
As Alan was still sleepy, Joey gathered him in his arms with his head against his shoulder, much like how Scott had held him earlier. It was a mark of how tired the youngest Tracy was that he didn’t protest.  
  
“Have you ever been in an ambulance, Alan?” the near-twenty-year-old asked, chuckling when the child shook his head against his shoulder. Gordon knew otherwise, but didn’t say anything - Alan had been unconscious after all.  
  
“Well, we’ve met Tanya, one of the drivers, how about we take a look inside one of her vehicles and get you something warm to drink, hey?”  
  
Once they were settled, Alan on Joey’s lap in a nearby chair and Gordon on a gurney, with blankets around them and a hot chocolate each, the swimmer sat worrying his lip. He couldn’t help feeling nervous, even if he did believe in his biggest brother and father, and now the police. How much longer would they have to wait before they saw their families again?

* * *

Jeff hadn’t been scared many times in his life.  
  
He’d been scared to learn he was going to be a father for the first time. He’d been scared when he was racing against the wall of snow not knowing if he would find his three youngest sons and wife alive. He’d been scared at the thought of carrying on without his beloved Lucy. He’d been scared at the realisation he hadn’t been around to help his boys. He’d been scared for Virgil when he’d received the phone call earlier from the Mall, and for John who was also there somewhere. He’d been scared to discover just minutes ago that Scott had intervened, and was bravely standing up to the terrorists.  
  
But he had been utmost terrified at seeing Virgil stride away from him, round the corner and straight into danger.  
  
Unable to stop his son with his urgent whispers, all the father of five could do was to stop Dan following suit. Once Jeff had calmed Virgil’s friend down, he’d whispered that it was best for them to stay put, for if Jeff revealed himself then the terrorists would know they were going to lose. If they thought only Virgil had escaped, they would still have the upper hand – after all, the patriarch thought with a shudder, what could a mere thirteen-year-old possibly do to cause harm?  
  
But one of the reasons that Jeff had let Virgil go was because of the sheer determination and strength of will he had seen in his son that night. Though the Tracy patriarch didn’t know the full story, he knew that whatever the boys – Virgil, John and Dan - had been through that night, they’d been together and had managed to secure upper hands over the terrorists by somehow watching their moves. Jeff’s thoughts turned to John at that. If they had managed to access camera feeds in order to be kept in the loop, that much the father could deduce, then it would’ve needed someone with amazing technological skills, and that was his second eldest all over.  
  
He’d also managed to work out from Virgil and Dan’s brief conversation that no one here knew about Dan being here, save themselves and Jane, his mom. That had been a reason for him to keep Dan from following Virgil. That, and what the kid had said about Jane being involved. Jeff didn’t want to believe it, Jane had always been so kind to the family and Lucy had always offered to help the Parkers after Jane’s husband left around ten years ago.  
  
He was snapped from his thoughts when his ears registered Scott’s voice. It was low, dangerous, non-negotiable and a tone Jeff recognised. It was a voice he himself had used countless times while in service in the Air Force. His heart swelled with pride for his eldest, who too was destined to be a fighter pilot, a _leader_ , just like his old man. Scotty was fighting for his brothers, like he always had.  
  
“If you need anyone to use in this, use me. But let my brothers go.”  
  
“Scott, no!” he heard John cry.  
  
His heart clenching, Jeff urged himself to stay where he was, praying that no harm would come to any of his boys, and waiting for the right moment to tear onto the scene.  
  
 _Please, Lucy, protect our boys._

* * *

Before anyone else in the room could react, one of the men at the back of the group gained everyone’s attention. The wall of men separating Scott from Virgil, John and Bane shifted, so they now faced the speaker.  
  
“Boss.”  
  
“What?” Bane screeched.  
  
“I can’t reach Jet or Zulu over radios. Looks like they’ve been compromised. Wilson hasn’t returned either.”  
  
With those words, the whole atmosphere of the room changed and Virgil shivered as a cold sensation passed down his spine. Remaining where he was, however, he scanned the room and saw that every face was now looking at Bane, silently asking for their next move.  
  
“That traitorous bitch! Kill them all,” he growled, glancing menacingly from John to Virgil and then to Scott. “If we’re not getting out of here free, then neither are Jeff Tracy’s sons.”  
  
Virgil didn’t have time to react other than to instinctually shut his eyes as the noise of multiple triggers being pulled filled the room.

 


	19. All Over

Chapter Nineteen  
All Over

 

 All hell broke loose.  
  
Scott panicked as he saw John fall limply to the floor. But he was prevented from making his way over to help as he was almost bowled over by a chestnut blur who clung to him fiercely.  
  
_Virgil...  
  
_ Pulling back and holding him at arms length, Scott gave his middle brother a quick once over. No blood, no wound. Relief flooding him, he threw his arms around his brother again, holding him as tight as he could. He was okay.  
  
_John...  
  
_ But the tears that pricked his eyes vanished at the sight of his blond brother stirring, coming round from the faint at the gentle shake of the blonde woman on her knees next to him. It was that moment that Scott realised that he, too, was unharmed. Somehow, by sheer luck, the guns had failed to fire.  
  
And it had panicked the men, for every masked ex-soldier around them, previously intimidating with their military appearance and organisation, now resembled headless chickens. Within the foyer, a stampede of sorts had ensued and thundering feet filled the room. These men knew they were going to be incarcerated; it was every man for himself.  
  
Scott pushed through the crowd and ran over, Virgil right beside him, and sat clumsily on the floor to help John slowly sit up. It seemed to take the fifteen-year-old a few seconds for his eyes and brain to focus, before landing on the eldest Tracy, who immediately wrapped John into a crushing hug.  
  
“You’re alright, Johnny. It’s okay, you’re alright,” Scott soothed, rocking his younger brother back and forth, to calm himself as much as his sibling. That brief feeling of sheer terror wasn’t going to leave him alone anytime soon.  
  
“Mom!”  
  
Scott looked up as the blonde woman rushed to her feet before enveloping her son into her arms. Up until that point, Scott had failed to recognise her. He’d forgotten Jane Parker was manager of the bank; she’d gained that position a few years ago after the previous boss retired. Scott only remembered that specific detail because it had been headline news, James Patton having worked there for something like forty years in total before leaving.  
  
Seeing Dan and Jane made Scott stiffen, the sight of them reunited having brought to the forefront of his mind what he had heard, but not paid attention to, earlier.  
  
_“You’re part of it too, don’t go bailing on us now, Jane.”  
  
__“Take the damn mask off, Tony…you’re still the same son of a bitch I married once!”  
  
_ Scott saw the look of panic on her face and instantly knew something was about to go wrong. Letting go of John, he quickly stood up, pulling the blond up with him but keeping an arm around his waist to help support him. Virgil was on his other side, holding onto his arm.  
  
Thoughts whirled around the pilot’s head. If Jane was still here, did that mean she was involved? Both her and the leader had openly accused each other earlier…  
  
_Wait a second.  
  
_ The names hit Scott like an avalanche. The leader was Tony Parker, Jane’s ex-husband and Dan’s father…  
  
_Oh shit.  
  
_ Tony turned, eyes fixed on mother and son, his face thoughtful. The room was now deadly silent. “Mom,” he said casually. “So, that makes _you_ Daniel. Hello, son, are you having a good night?”  
  
John beside him groaned while Virgil gasped in obvious shock. Glancing at him, Scott could see he had paled and his eyes were wide. Looking back at Dan, Scott felt sorry for the kid who was now white as a sheet, his arms around Jane’s waist as he looked in shock and confusion from her and then to his father.  
  
“You don’t deserve to call him that, not after all you’ve done!” Jane shouted.  
  
“After all _I’ve_ done,” he replied quietly, beginning to walk threateningly close to them. When he stopped, his voice was heavily sardonic as he shrugged. “Yeah, okay, I’m sorry. I maybe _should_ of thought of your sons before I decided to do this and frame you for it.”  
  
“Who the _hell_ do you think you are?” Dan asked incredulously.  
  
At that, Tony walked right up to his son; standing so close Dan’s nose was almost touching his chest. But Dan was having none of it, refusing to back down, instead continuing to hold the man’s piercing glare. Scott couldn’t help but tense when he smirked.  
  
“You’re good at this, you’d have made a decent soldier with that focus.”  
  
“You leave him alone,” Jane ordered through gritted teeth.  
  
At first Tony didn’t react, still smirking down at Dan. Then, without warning, he backhanded Jane, powerfully enough to make her hit the floor. Dan made to help her up but before he could so much as take a step Tony seized him, holding the boy against his chest, an arm around his throat.  
  
“Let him go!” Jane cried.  
  
Virgil, who had been watching the whole thing in a daze until then, sprang into action. Running forward, ignoring Scott and Johns shouts, he leapt onto Bane’s back, kicking his feet into the man’s thighs, careful not to hit his friend. In response, he immediately let go of Dan with a cry. The world then blurred as Virgil’s arms were grabbed and he was effortlessly flipped forward over Tony’s head, landing hard on his back and gasping as the wind was knocked out of him.   
  
“Virgil!”  
  
Rolling over and scrambling to his feet, Virgil nearly collided with his father. Breathing heavily, Virgil grinned and chuckled at the look on Jeff Tracy’s face.  
  
“He deserved it for hitting her,” the artist said simply, shrugging.  
  
Around them, chaos reigned. Some of the men were fighting each other, whilst others were making a break for the exit. Looking around for his brothers, Virgil saw Scott in a fight with the nearest terrorist and cheered as with one final kick to the stomach, the man was floored.  
  
But his celebration was halted when he felt an arm snake around his waist, pulling him bodily away, off the floor. Kicking out furiously, Virgil tried desperately to get away, but it wasn’t working.  
  
“Dad! Scott!” he yelled, still thrashing in Tony’s arms.  
  
Scott was there instantly, kicking the man in the shins before swiping his legs out from under him. It made the leader trip and stumble, but not fall to the floor. Cursing, Scott grabbed his shoulders and thrust his knee several times into the man’s stomach, making him double over and drop Virgil. Rolling out of the man’s reach, his brother scrambled up before running back into Scott’s arms. John, Dan and Jane joined them and they watched as Jeff delivered a punch so powerful, the guy was out cold before he hit the floor.  
  
“That was for putting my sons through hell,” he growled.  
  
Seeing as the fight was not stopping, even now the leader was down, Scott turned to John. “John, get yourself and Virgil out of here. Take Dan and Jane with you; head for the back of the Mall, there’s a tunnel that leads to the rear.”  
  
“But what about you!” Virgil hissed and Scott ruffled his hair.  
  
“I’ll be fine, Dad too. Gords and Allie are outside waiting, tell them we’re right behind-”  
  
But he was cut off midsentence by the sound of warning shots filling the air and, upon instinct, pulled his brothers to the floor.  
  
Lifting his head slightly so he could peer through the legs of the men and see the new arrival, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the bank employee who’d helped him earlier. Flanked by the soldiers he’d sneaked past to get in here, she had her own gun pointed at the mob of terrorists, a badge in the other hand.  
  
“Freeze, FBI!”  
  
The nightmare was finally over.

* * *

Agent Annabel “Anna” Lucas faced the group of fifty FBI supplied S.W.A.T soldiers, her voice carrying clear as she gave the final commands. It felt good to let her hair down again, after being Miss Goody-Two-Shoes for so long and playing secretary.  
  
“Okay. You’ve got your orders, not one fires unless I say otherwise. We go in there and bring the men _out_. There are civilians still in there, so, if any of the men go for hostages, you use hand-to-hand to get them back – no guns. We already have two in custody, and there are forty-three left to bring out. Are we clear?”  
  
“Yes, Ma’am!” they chorused.  
  
“Excuse me, just who do you think you are?”  
  
Anna rolled her eyes as the police chief came running over. She’d known this was coming, but right now when they were so close to closing their case, she wasn’t prepared to spare the Sheriff time.  
  
Turning to him and flashing her badge, she hid her smirk upon seeing the confusion in his face.  
  
“Agent Lucas, FBI. Everything will be explained to you in due course, Sheriff Winters; right now me and my team have a job to do.”  
  
“Your team? Why was I not fully briefed on this? You can expect the Manhattan Police Department to take action.”  
  
“You do that, Sheriff Winters, but you might want to reconsider when this ends cleanly on the FBI’s terms and you have your civilians back in one piece. I’m sure Mr Jefferson Tracy wouldn’t be happy if he found out you were preventing us from getting him and his boys out safely and _quickly_. Now, please return to your post and let us do our job.”  
  
The round man flushed before turning on his heel and striding away, no doubt to have a rant at his junior ranks. Anna smirked before turning back to finish briefing her team.  
  
She loved her job.  
  
“Alright. The door is code-sealed but thanks to my undercover stint, we have free entry. Now follow me and let’s go kick some terrorist ass.”  
  
No sooner had they entered the building, the federal agent and team of soldiers came upon scattered groups of the target suspects, each of them sending curses flying the agent’s way when they recognised her. Giving the signal, Anna carried on as groups of the soldiers broke away to chase them down.  
  
As they approached the bank entrance, Anna was surprised to see the entire foyer in utter pandemonium. Something had obviously gone wrong for them, as these were not the same organised and intimidating men she had left earlier. It appeared Tony had managed to slip up badly as he was no longer the in-control leader.  
  
Certainly not when he was struggling to fight off kids…  
  
As her and her team settled in formation, she continued to watch the scene, flinching in genuine surprise as she witnessed Jeff Tracy knock out Tony with one blow. Then again, the billionaire himself was ex-military…  
  
Satisfied Jane and her son were also safe and unharmed, Anna fired off three warning shots into the air, resembling those that had started the whole affair hours earlier.  
  
They still held the element of surprise, as everybody froze where they stood, bar the three Tracy boys who were now on the floor. She really had to admire Scott for his bravery, instincts and skill; he would certainly make an excellent Air Force serviceman much like his old man.  
  
Pulling out her badge from her blazer, she held it out, her gun now pointed at the crowd.  
  
“Freeze, FBI!”


	20. Family is Everything

Chapter Twenty  
Family is Everything  
  


The hours that followed may as well have been days, for that was what it felt like to the young middle Tracy child. As the Mall was swept clear of terrorists by the FBI and Manhattan PD officers, they were escorted out into the bustle of the street and reunited with Gordon, Alan and Joey.  
  
Virgil shivered, the chilly mid-November night air hitting him in the face as they left the building, wishing he’d retrieved his coat from where it’d been abandoned in the café before the night began. Scott beside him sensed his discomfort and put an arm around pulling him close, rubbing the artist’s arm in an attempt to warm him up a little. Virgil found himself leaning into the half-embrace, welcoming the contact before grinning up at his eldest brother, glad that they could finally go home.  
  
Scott grinned back, before slowing down as he unbuttoned and shrugged off his coat, placing it around Virgil’s shoulders. It was a little too big for him but the teenager accepted it gratefully, snuggling into the warmth as they walked on through the throng of emergency vehicles, John with a hand on his shoulder. They all missed the fond look Jeff Tracy was giving them as he followed.  
  
“Hey, look who’s here, you two!”  
  
“Virgie! Johnny!”  
  
“Daddy!”  
  
Virgil’s head shot up at the familiar voices, just in time to have a small blond figure almost tackle him to the floor. Ruffling Alan’s hair as he let go and regained his balance, he then eagerly hugged his redheaded brother, who clung on noticeably tighter. The fact that Gordon didn’t shy away from the contact, showed how much the night had taken its toll on them all.  
  
Standing back next to his dad, who hugged him close with one arm, Virgil watched fondly as the Terrible Two launched themselves at Scott and John. His brows furrowed worriedly however, upon seeing Scott cry out a little too loudly as arms squeezed his middle. No one but he seemed to notice though, as Alan began talking a-mile-a-minute while the prankster remained unusually quiet. Catching the look of concern Scott shot their redheaded brother, Virgil knew he wasn’t the only one to have spotted that. There was evidently a long road ahead for them all from here.  
  
To his right, he watched as Joey hugged Mrs Parker before ruffling his brother’s hair. Dan only gave a brief smile in response, not saying a word. As he caught Virgil’s eye, the artist smiled sympathetically at his friend; he looked drained, exhausted and confused, and Virgil couldn’t blame him. They’d been through a lot but Dan had possibly had it the worst. Finding out his estranged father was the leader of the terrorists who had instigated the attempted bank robbery was a lot for him to come to terms with.  
  
As the euphoria calmed, Jeff gathered Alan in his arms and approached the Parkers, his arm extended towards Joey.  
  
“Thank you for watching Alan and Gordon, I appreciate it.”  
  
The young man shook the patriarch’s hand, nodding and giving a warm smile. “No trouble, they’re good boys.”  
  
“As is young Daniel here,” Jeff replied, chuckling when Dan blushed in embarrassment. He then looked around at the small circle they’d formed. “I’m proud of all of you.”  
  
Placing Alan on the ground, who immediately clutched onto Virgil’s side, the Tracy patriarch gestured to Jane and the two of them walked to one side so they could talk privately.  
  
As Alan yawned, Scott tightened the zip on the youngster’s coat before lifting him slowly up into his arms. The six-year-old immediately latched his arms around his eldest brother’s neck and rested his head on his shoulder.  
  
Virgil hadn’t missed Scott’s wince of pain; he was hurting despite his best efforts to hide it. Shooting his brother a pointed look to let him know he’d seen right through him, Virgil raised his eyebrows challengingly when Scott simply shrugged off the concern with a reciprocal look, and an almost imperceptible shake of the head. Stubborn big brother didn’t want attention drawn towards him.  
  
Just as stubborn, the artist kept his gaze, until a group of officers, including the female FBI agent, approached them. Jeff and Jane re-joined the group, wanting to know what was going on.  
  
“Mr Tracy, Mrs Parker,” the female agent addressed them. “I’m Agent Lucas, FBI, and I insist that you and your children accompany myself and my team to the police station immediately, where we can discuss this evening’s events.”  
  
“Can’t this wait until the morning?” Jeff countered, quiet fury in his voice. “These boys have been through too much for their ages and need to rest. They need time to come to terms with what they’ve been through in their own time, and not to have it thrust back in their faces.”  
  
Virgil beside him held his breath. He wanted nothing more right now than to curl up in his bed and forget about the whole thing.  
  
“With respect, Mr Tracy, this has been a major, national security event and the US government needs as much detail as possible.”  
  
“Says the government agent who’s been undercover throughout the entire operation,” Jane bit back incredulously. “Surely you have enough information to pass on for now?”  
  
“If it makes it easier, I can arrest you,” Anna shot back, casual but firm.  
  
Virgil just looked at the woman in shock as he felt John’s hand tighten on his shoulder. Scott meanwhile, took a step towards her.  
  
“You really wanna go there?” his voice was dangerous, warning the agent to back off but Dad stuck his arm out preventing him moving closer.  
  
“Scott,” he said quietly, eyes still fixed on the agent. “Okay, we’ll go. But before we move anywhere, I want Scott checked out by the paramedics.”  
  
At Scott’s startled look, Virgil could only smirk in triumph. He’d won their silent battle.

* * *

The questioning had gone on well into the early hours of the morning, and being ushered from interview room to waiting room over and over took its toll, meaning Virgil even fell asleep on Scott or his father more than once. Though it was never for more than a few minutes each time.  
  
Scott, having been checked over and cleared for home by the ambulance crews, had merely a few bruised ribs and superficial grazes to serve as a reminder of the night and orders to take it easy at both home and school. Virgil had also had his left wrist examined and bandaged upon John’s request, suffering a mild sprain from falling in the Mall with both hands tied behind his back.  
  
By far the most nerve-racking interview of them all was when Jeff Tracy was present for the FBI agent’s interview of Virgil, John and Dan. Having been scared out of his wits that harm would come to his fellow hostages in the bank, Virgil hadn’t let his father in on the whole truth in case they were overheard. It only meant that now everything would come to light, and the artist wasn’t entirely sure how the businessman would take it.  
  
Nevertheless, encouraged by John who sat on his right, Virgil began the tale from the very beginning. From leaving the Tracy house to finding Dan in the office cabinet to being taken into the safe room as extra leverage, the artist talked for what seemed like hours.  
  
“So, Virgil, tell me,” Agent Lucas stated in a stern voice. “How did you know the men were coming back for you? You said you saw them coming, hurried your friend back into his hiding place before waiting for them to come in order to make your being taken away convincing. Would you care to elaborate please?”  
  
Virgil gulped, eyes trained on the floor. Up until that point, the thirteen-year-old hadn’t specifically mentioned their hacking into the CCTV.  
  
“I used Jane Parker’s computer in the office to access the CCTV feeds,” John’s calm tone came from beside him, firm and confident. “That way we were able to keep tabs on the movement of the terrorists within the bank as well as our father. It meant we were clued in and not just hostages, meaning we were prepared for when they came for both me and Virgil.”  
  
The FBI agent fixed the blond with a rather odd glance, seemingly a mixture of disapproval and confusion. “I see. And how exactly, John, did you gain access to the Closed-Circuit Camera feeds? They are thoroughly encrypted with numerous firewalls and yet you broke through in no time at all?”  
  
Feeling his father move closer to them where he stood behind and place an encouraging hand on John’s shoulder, Virgil glanced at his older brother, who had a rather sheepish look on his face. “I’m quite gifted with technology, Ma’am.”  
  
Agent Lucas, noticeably trying to hide the impressed look that briefly showed itself on her face, stopped scribbling and closed the file in front of her. “Right, I think that will do us for now. Daniel, I will call you and your mother in again very soon to discuss your father. For now, you are all free to go.”  
  
Letting out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, Virgil stood up and exited the room, the rest fling out behind him. Greeted with a tight hug from his eldest brother, the artist breathed in deeply and let out a jaw-splitting yawn. It was definitely time for him to hide beneath his bed covers now and sleep for the rest of the year.  
  
“Come on, Virge, let’s get you home,” Scott whispered into his hair.  
  
As the two families made their way out of the station, finally free of the night’s events, both parent and child alike couldn’t help but notice a faint flicker of tension still hanging in the chilly air. One thing was for sure; there was still a way to go before this night was forgotten.  
  
Half-stumbling into an escort car, Virgil’s eyes began to drift shut as they were taken back to their house; the stress and strain of the night dissipated from him in invisible waves, draining him. Upon reaching the house, he was sure to give each member of his family a hug, including a noticeably longer and tighter one for is father, before making the final journey up the stairs to his room.  
  
Jumping into bed, fully-clothed, the middle Tracy was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.


	21. Epilogue

** EPILOGUE **

Battered black clouds swirled across the expanse of sombre grey sky beyond the classroom windows; rain spattering the glass created a steady background rhythm, albeit occasionally disjointed. It held the middle Tracy child’s attention, the canvas before him forgotten as his gaze focused out towards the chaos Mother Nature was creating. Though he wasn’t really looking but _thinking_. Drinking in the melody, mulling things over.  
  
Much like the tricky piano pieces he would play to untangle and calm his mind, the background pulse of the outside world was comforting. Sorting out the mess and filing it all away until he could take a deep breath and carry on facing the day. The latter was yet to happen, his mind otherwise occupied replaying events from the night inside the Blue Hills Mall. That was nearly a week ago now.  
  
At night, while alone to the mercy of his imagination, he would dream of a worse outcome of the siege – _Scott and John seriously hurt, his best friend dead…_  
  
Virgil shuddered, momentarily glancing behind him and sighing as his mind was put to rest. Dan sat behind him, safe and unharmed, though fixing the artist with a worried look not unlike what Scott would give him. Virgil simply shook his head and shot his friend a brief false smile.  
  
It was barely half way through the morning but all he really wanted to hide under his duvet and sleep, without the nightmares. Yawning and rubbing his eyes and face with his hands, he felt exhausted and so not in the mood for painting. He contemplated making a run for it when he suddenly felt a wave of light-headedness sweep through him and he actually swayed slightly in his seat.

The room felt far too hot. His breathing pattern was wrong. He was gasping, felt like he was choking, heart hammering.  
  
He had to get out. Grabbing his coat from his seat he ran for the door, all other belongings abandoned. Flying down the stairs two at a time, he sprinted down the corridor until he found the nearest exit, yanking it open and only stopping to catch his breath once it was shut and he was outside.  
  
Gasping heavily, he leaned back against the closed door, closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing through his nose and out of his mouth like Scott had taught him.  
  
Moving once he felt his heartbeat calm, he pulled on his coat, shrugged up the hood and began to walk. Across the fire assembly point, across the Astroturf where he had his gym lessons until he reached the huge field that stretched the length of the high school. Still he kept on walking, occasionally slipping on the saturated, muddy grass, only slowing down as he approached a few trees – where they’d usually take shade in the summer.  
  
It was only as he got closer that he noticed a figure up amongst the branches of the tallest tree to the right. A blond haired figure staring up, as best he could, at the black sea that was the sky – not so hard to spot in the stripped-bare winter wood.  
  
“John?” Virgil shouted over the noise of Mother Nature.  
  
His older brother didn’t immediately turn his way; instead he began to clamber back down to the ground. With an easy swing and a cat-like land, he was back down at Virgil’s level. “Everything okay, Virg?” he asked, leaning lightly against the tree trunk.  
  
“I could ask you the same question,” he said back with a smirk.  
  
“You know I love a good storm. Couldn’t take the confines of the classroom either, huh?”  
  
“Another panic attack. But I’m okay now, honest,” Virgil urged, as the astronomer gave him a worried look.  
  
“Okay, I believe you. So how’s your poem coming along?”  
  
Virgil shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”  
  
  
Missing the first half of the school week following the Mall incident, Virg had been able to make a proper start on his English poetry assignment that he’d been unable to attempt before, though he hadn’t let anyone see it. He was supposed to write from the point of view of a trapped character from a disaster movie they’d watched.  
  
“Just okay? If you’re having any problems I could help you.”  
  
“No, I’m almost done. Besides, I’ve been given as much time as I need. It’s just been difficult as I’ve put a slightly different angle on it.”  
  
“How so?” John asked, intrigue clear in his voice but a puzzled look on his face.  
  
“Well, put it this way,” the artist said quietly. “I’m forgiving the avalanche, but I haven’t used the movie.”  
  
Silence fell between them for a while as they sat, watching the rain dance and just enjoying one another’s company. It filled the pianist’s whole body with a new sense of calm, and he began to understand why his astronomy-obsessed brother enjoyed the occasional storm. The sheer power and force emanating around them from pure nature actually somewhat cleared the foggy mess his mind was in. Finally, when Virgil started to feel the cold and huddle closer to his brother, John checked his watch. It showed they’d been out for almost too long and so they headed back inside.  
  
That night, with not too much conscious effort, Virgil finished his poem.  
  
Not having English scheduled for the next day, the teen settled on turning his assignment in at lunch. For the morning he had a double art lesson followed by maths and for the first time that week, he actually drew on his canvas. It wasn’t a clear picture to anyone who glanced at it, but the colours to Virgil meant everything. They showed to him that something was slowly beginning to change within him.  
  
It was all he needed to be able to knock on his teacher’s door a few hours later. He was invited in to the classroom and walked over to the desk, but when he made to hand his book to her, Miss Finch held up her hand in a soft dismissive gesture.  
  
“Are you able to read it to me?” The smile on her face was warm and encouraging but nevertheless, Virgil froze for a second before swallowing, taking a deep breath and beginning.

* * *

 

Beneath the Heap  


_I sit at the top of the mountain_  
I am white and I am cold,  
I am not a human; I am Snow.  
_I watch the families down below_  
Having fun on holiday,  
_I want to be among them; watch me._

_. * ._

_I am down in the Valais resort_  
Having fun on holiday,  
I am a human; my name is Virgil Tracy.  
_We are having a snowball fight_  
_Mom, Gords, Alan and me,  
_ _Snow is coming; but we don’t see._

_Rumbling, roaring. Rumbling, roaring.  
Mom shouts “Hold on to me!”  
__Snow is right here; we can’t get away.  
__Rolling, hurting. Rolling, hurting.  
__White hands tear Mom away,_  
we’ve all been captured; white turns to black.

_. * ._

_I make my way down the mountainside_  
_I am curious and I am fast._  
_Too fast, oh help; I’ve gobbled them up!_  
_I lie in the Valais resort,_  
_I lie silent and still,  
_ _Snow just wanted to be friends; now look!_

_. * ._

_I am cold and I am tired as_  
_I awake beneath the heap,_  
_Gordon’s next to me; we need to escape._  
_We wait and we wait, we cry and we cry,_  
_I hug him close - he’s hurt.  
_ _Please Mom, Dad. Someone please find us!_

_Are Mom and Alan okay? All I_  
want is to sleep, I’m cold.  
_But I have to keep Gordy awake._  
_I have to be big and brave like Scott,_  
_But I don’t think I can,  
_ _I just want to be safe and warm in bed._

_. * ._

_I listen to Virgil cry for help,_  
_he lies beneath the heap_  
_with his family; what have I done?_  
_I try to keep them alive, I try!_  
I never meant to hurt them!  
_But that just seems to be nature’s way._

_. * ._

_I talk to Gordon about swimming_  
_To take his mind off things,_  
All I feel is white and black hands on me.  
_I think I can hear other voices,_  
_Yes, my dad and brothers.  
_ _I say to Gordon as we cry: “We’re safe!”_

_  
I’m being pulled, but up not down  
I see Scott, he’s saved us!  
__No need to stay afraid; we’re free!  
__I cling to him like a baby  
__As I’m rescued, I know_  
there’s a long road to recovery ahead.

_But more trouble lies right here beside,_  
Mom’s gone, she saved Alan.  
But we can pick ourselves up, be strong and move on.

_. * ._

_I watch as Virgil is taken away_  
I managed to save him.  
_Can I do the same, be strong and move on?_

* * *

 

Virgil closed the notebook and looked down at his feet, his arms swinging nervously at his side. Though there was no mistaking the light feeling that now encased his chest, like a weight he’d been carrying around for way too long was finally beginning to dissipate, much like with his art earlier.  
  
“I know it’s not strictly what we were asked to do but-”  
  
“Thank you, Virgil,” she said softly, swallowing. “That was…I think your brothers and father would like to see that. I will personally ensure a letter from myself reaches your father with…praising words of your courage and strength that you have shown with this under the circumstances. You should be very proud of yourself. Keep that chin up; you’re a good lad.”  
  
The teen nodded then headed for the door, intent on finding Scott and John. Dan was waiting outside for him and Virgil raised his hand for a high-five, to which the tennis player responded enthusiastically.   
  
“You did it, awesome!”  
  
“Yeah, finally,” the middle Tracy replied with a nervous chuckle as they headed off to lessons, the bell echoing down the corridor. Scott and John would have to wait.  
  
Throughout the short afternoon the weather cleared up, even making room for a burst of sunshine as the clock approached 3.30pm. When the bell finally rang, Virgil calmly packed up his bag, waved goodbye to Dan and headed out. Meeting up with his two older brothers at the front of the school, the artist filled them in on what he’d achieved with a promise he’d show them the poem later. Scott grabbed him in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles over the teen’s head.  
  
“Hey, geroff!” Virgil squirmed, breaking free and screwing his face up at his brothers’ outbreak of laughter.  
  
Too busy from then on trying to catch his eldest brother’s foot and trip him up, Virgil hadn’t realised where they’d headed. They were approaching the car park. “We’re not getting the bus, today?”  
  
“Well, you can,” Scott replied, smugly. “But I offered to pick up Al and Gords as Dad’s preparing us a special surprise dinner.”  
  
“Oh yeah?” John smirked, and Scott nudged him with his elbow before placing an arm around the blond’s shoulder.  
  
“Yeah, cus _someone’s_ a year older now,” he said pointedly, softly poking John in the chest. “Oldie.”  
  
“Hey, you can hardly talk!” John responded by lightly punching back.  
  
“Oi, watch the ribs!”  
  
“Doofus.”  
  
“Astronut.”  
  
Side by side as they continued teasing and laughing, the three brothers made their way towards the blue automobile and, for the first time in a long time, Virgil’s smile wasn’t forced.

 

**THE END**

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep an eye out for the sequel, Recovery!


End file.
